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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. suit — clothes
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wake — a trail
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bark — to shout
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. field — for sport
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. board — to get on
  18. field — a subject
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. board — a committee
  24. bear — the animal

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