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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. kid — to tease
  4. toast — bread
  5. charge — a price
  6. last — final
  7. charge — electricity
  8. kid — child
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. last — finally
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. field — for sport
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. last — to go on
  16. charge — in control
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. field — a subject
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. field — farmland

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