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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. season — of the year
  6. firm — steady
  7. field — a subject
  8. mug — to rob
  9. field — farmland
  10. mug — a face
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. season — in sport
  16. ground — the earth
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. kick — in football
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. field — for sport
  23. mug — a cup
  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