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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. field — a subject
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mine — for digging
  8. field — for sport
  9. sharp — clever
  10. charge — a price
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. charge — in control
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bark — to shout
  17. field — farmland
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bulb — for light
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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