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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spell — letters
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. field — for sport
  6. present — the time now
  7. key — in music
  8. present — a gift
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pass — a permit
  21. field — farmland
  22. bark — to shout
  23. present — there
  24. bark — of a tree

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