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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. firm — decided
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. field — a subject
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. firm — steady
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. field — farmland
  12. firm — a company
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — in control
  15. field — for sport
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bark — to shout
  21. charge — a price
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bowl — a football final

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