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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bark — to shout
  3. field — for sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. scale — size or range
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. fine — high quality
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — farmland
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. field — a subject
  16. spring — the season
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fine — all right
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. spring — of water
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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