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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 124 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mate — a friend
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. field — farmland
  8. sharp — clever
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bark — to shout
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. field — a subject
  18. suit — clothes
  19. suit — in cards
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. suit — to fit
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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