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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. track — a path
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. object — to protest
  13. wind — moving air
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. object — a thing
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. ground — a position
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. ground — the earth
  23. object — an aim
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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