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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mug — to rob
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mark — a grade
  10. file — a document
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mug — a face
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. mark — a trace
  16. rock — a stone
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. file — a tool
  19. rock — music
  20. mug — a cup
  21. track — a song
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — a path

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