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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. kick — in football
  4. suit — in cards
  5. field — for sport
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. field — farmland
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bat — the animal
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bark — to shout
  14. field — a subject
  15. march — the month
  16. suit — to fit
  17. spell — magic
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. spell — letters
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. suit — clothes

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