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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bark — to shout
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. field — farmland
  8. board — to get on
  9. shower — rain
  10. pit — a hole
  11. board — a committee
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. shower — to wash
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. field — a subject
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. charge — in control
  21. fork — in a road
  22. charge — a price
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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