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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. staff — employees
  4. bulb — for light
  5. field — farmland
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. staff — employees
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bulb — for light
  14. field — a subject
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. season — of the year
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. season — in sport
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. field — for sport
  23. staff — a stick
  24. fine — all right

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