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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bark — to shout
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. toast — bread
  7. field — for sport
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rash — hasty
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rash — a series
  24. wave — with your hand

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