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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. net — in sport
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. track — a song
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. net — after costs
  9. bark — to shout
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rule — government
  12. ball — a great time
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. ball — a dance
  15. track — a path
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. net — for catching
  23. field — a subject
  24. rule — a law

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