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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bark — to shout
  17. season — of the year
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. field — a subject
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. field — farmland
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rash — a series

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