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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: toast · stick · staff · game · dip · fine · field · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. dip — to sink
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. field — a subject
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. staff — a stick
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. fine — high quality
  16. toast — bread
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bark — to shout
  20. field — for sport
  21. staff — employees
  22. fine — all right
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — farmland

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