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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. field — a subject
  6. can — to be able to
  7. fork — in a road
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bark — to shout
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. can — a tin
  16. field — farmland
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — child
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. chip — to eat
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. can — a tin

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