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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bark — to shout
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. field — for sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bulb — for light
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. field — farmland
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. rule — a law
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. field — a subject
  15. pass — a permit
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rule — government
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bulb — for light

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