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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. drill — army training
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. drill — a practice
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. net — after costs
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. track — a song
  14. ball — a dance
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. drill — the tool
  17. track — a path
  18. last — finally
  19. track — to keep track
  20. last — to go on
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. bark — to shout

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