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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pound — a weight
  3. track — a song
  4. field — for sport
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mug — a face
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. saw — the tool
  13. field — farmland
  14. saw — the tool
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mark — a trace
  19. field — a subject
  20. track — to keep track
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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