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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. present — there
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bark — to shout
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. saw — the tool
  10. present — a gift
  11. field — a subject
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. saw — the tool
  15. roll — a list
  16. present — the time now
  17. roll — a cake
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pit — a hole
  20. field — farmland
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. field — for sport

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