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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.

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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. track — a path
  3. bark — to shout
  4. track — a song
  5. rash — a series
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. rock — music
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. track — to keep track
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. toast — bread
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bark — of a tree

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