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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. track — a song
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. object — an aim
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. key — in music
  9. wind — moving air
  10. track — to keep track
  11. court — of a king
  12. key — the most important part
  13. squash — the sport
  14. court — for sport
  15. object — to protest
  16. squash — to crush
  17. court — of law
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. object — a thing
  21. key — for a lock
  22. track — a path
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. wind — to turn a key

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