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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. field — farmland
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bound — tied together
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. kick — in football
  8. bark — to shout
  9. staff — employees
  10. bound — certain
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. staff — employees
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. field — a subject
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bound — obliged
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. land — a country
  23. field — for sport
  24. dip — a sauce

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com