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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 116 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. field — a subject
  3. cue — a hint
  4. face — to confront
  5. stock — goods
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cue — a signal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. drill — army training
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. stock — shares
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. field — farmland
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. hand — in cards
  19. drill — the tool
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cue — for pool
  23. face — to point toward
  24. field — for sport

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