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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pass — a permit
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. ground — the earth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. drill — the tool
  12. club — for golf
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. ground — a position
  16. bear — the animal
  17. club — a group
  18. lie — to recline
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bark — to shout
  24. field — farmland

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