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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bound — obliged
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. field — for sport
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — a measure
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. net — after costs
  21. field — farmland
  22. rest — what's left
  23. field — a subject
  24. net — for catching

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