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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mug — to rob
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rock — a stone
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. board — to get on
  16. mark — a trace
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rock — music
  20. game — a match
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. field — farmland
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bark — to shout

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