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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bark — to shout
  7. track — to keep track
  8. face — to confront
  9. swing — music
  10. cue — for pool
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cue — a hint
  13. swing — to play on
  14. land — a country
  15. fork — in a road
  16. face — part of the head
  17. land — to come down
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cue — a signal
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. land — ground

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