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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. field — for sport
  2. squash — the sport
  3. chip — for betting
  4. can — a tin
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. squash — to crush
  11. can — a tin
  12. chip — to eat
  13. spell — letters
  14. band — a ring
  15. spell — a short time
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. spell — magic
  19. field — farmland
  20. bark — to shout
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. band — a music group
  23. can — to be able to
  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