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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bark — to shout
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cap — a hat
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mark — a grade
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. mark — a trace
  16. press — newspapers
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. press — to push
  20. field — farmland
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. staff — employees
  23. press — a publisher
  24. game — a match

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