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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. charge — a price
  5. field — for sport
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. field — a subject
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bat — the animal
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. field — farmland
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. charge — in control
  24. bass — low music

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