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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bark — to shout
  4. chair — a leader
  5. craft — a skill
  6. track — a path
  7. scale — size or range
  8. craft — boats
  9. pass — a permit
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. field — farmland
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. scale — in music
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. field — a subject
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. track — a song

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