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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. chair — a leader
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. snap — to click
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. field — farmland
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bark — to shout
  14. present — a gift
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. scale — size or range
  19. present — there
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wake — a trail
  23. scale — in music
  24. present — the time now

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