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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. charge — in control
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. track — a path
  7. charge — electricity
  8. track — to keep track
  9. prune — to trim
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mug — to rob
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rash — a series
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rash — hasty
  19. prune — to trim
  20. track — a song
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mug — a face
  24. bat — in an idiom

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