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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. row — a line
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. track — a song
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. rest — a break
  9. track — a path
  10. mate — a partner
  11. row — to paddle
  12. track — to keep track
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fall — the season
  17. mate — to breed
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fall — to drop
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rest — what's left

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