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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. track — a path
  4. file — a tool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. file — a line of people
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. saw — the tool
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. fall — the season
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. foot — a measure
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. track — a song
  20. saw — the tool
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. net — in sport
  23. bark — to shout
  24. file — a document

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