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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. track — a song
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. track — to keep track
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. ground — a position
  7. bark — to shout
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. drill — the tool
  18. track — a path
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fork — in a road
  21. drill — army training
  22. net — for catching
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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