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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. track — to keep track
  3. content — happy
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. track — a song
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rule — government
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. track — a path
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rule — a law
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. content — the amount
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. nail — for a hammer

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