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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. clip — to cut
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. track — a song
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. track — to keep track
  14. clip — a video
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. clip — for paper
  20. track — a path
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. rush — to hurry

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