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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 120 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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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: field · key · content · game · bark · press · bore · rock

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. key — in music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. content — happy
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. game — a match
  11. field — a subject
  12. game — wild animals
  13. key — for a lock
  14. field — farmland
  15. press — to push
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rock — a stone
  18. key — the most important part
  19. press — newspapers
  20. content — the amount
  21. bore — to tire
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rock — music
  24. content — videos and posts

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