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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. field — for sport
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. court — of law
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. field — a subject
  11. saw — the tool
  12. court — for sport
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. field — farmland
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bark — to shout
  19. court — of a king
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mark — a trace
  24. saw — the tool

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