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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. face — to confront
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. fine — all right
  10. field — a subject
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. can — a tin
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. field — for sport
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bark — to shout
  24. field — farmland

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