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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. present — there
  3. ground — a position
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. ground — the earth
  10. court — of a king
  11. field — a subject
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. field — farmland
  15. ground — crushed
  16. court — of law
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. court — for sport
  20. present — a gift
  21. field — for sport
  22. present — the time now
  23. pop — music
  24. mark — a grade

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