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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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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. lie — to recline
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. rash — hasty
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mate — to breed
  18. track — a path
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bark — to shout
  21. rash — a series
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. mate — a friend

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