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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pit — in a race
  3. spell — letters
  4. key — the most important part
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bore — to tire
  7. spell — magic
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bore — to drill
  12. plane — a tool
  13. field — for sport
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. key — in music
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pit — a hole
  19. field — farmland
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. spell — a short time
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bark — of a tree

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