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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: foot · field · chair · clip · bound · pit · fan · bark

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bark — to shout
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. field — for sport
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bound — tied together
  9. clip — a video
  10. field — farmland
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bound — certain
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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