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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. staff — employees
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. staff — a stick
  7. land — a country
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. land — to come down
  10. track — a path
  11. land — ground
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. fine — all right
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rock — music
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. staff — employees
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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