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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. track — a path
  4. bound — certain
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. track — to keep track
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bound — obliged
  9. club — a group
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bound — tied together
  13. row — a line
  14. track — a song
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — for golf
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. row — to paddle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. deal — to handle

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