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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. cue — a hint
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. board — to get on
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bat — the animal
  12. board — a committee
  13. pit — in a race
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. field — farmland
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bat — for baseball

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