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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. toast — bread
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. snap — to click
  7. track — a song
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. track — to keep track
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. toast — the most admired

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