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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. field — farmland
  5. object — to protest
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bound — certain
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. track — a path
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. object — an aim
  16. track — a song
  17. bound — tied together
  18. track — to keep track
  19. object — a thing
  20. field — for sport
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rock — music
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. field — a subject

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