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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. spell — magic
  3. game — a match
  4. shower — to wash
  5. spell — a short time
  6. suit — to fit
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. game — wild animals
  9. field — for sport
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. suit — clothes
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spell — letters
  17. field — a subject
  18. shower — rain
  19. fork — in a road
  20. field — farmland
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. suit — in cards
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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