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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 116 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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. bark — to shout
  2. race — a contest
  3. club — a group
  4. fork — in a road
  5. club — for golf
  6. race — humankind
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. track — a song
  12. mine — for digging
  13. net — for catching
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. race — the arms race
  23. track — a path
  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