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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — in control
  14. rush — hurry
  15. track — a song
  16. wind — moving air
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bark — to shout

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