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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. sharp — clever
  3. track — a song
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. capital — a city
  10. track — a path
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. capital — money
  20. can — a tin
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. can — a tin
  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