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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. field — for sport
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. field — farmland
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bark — to shout
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bulb — for light
  11. snap — to click
  12. bulb — for light
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. swing — music
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. field — a subject
  23. rule — government
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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