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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · nail · leaves · content · bark · court · field · pass

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. court — of law
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. court — of a king
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. court — for sport
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. content — the amount
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. field — farmland
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — a permit

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