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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 116 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. field — a subject
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. staff — a stick
  7. club — for dancing
  8. field — farmland
  9. pass — a permit
  10. staff — employees
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. field — for sport
  14. bark — to shout
  15. march — music
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. season — in sport
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. march — the month
  20. ball — a great time
  21. staff — employees
  22. club — a group
  23. march — the month
  24. season — of the year

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