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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. drill — army training
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bound — tied together
  15. drill — a practice
  16. ground — the earth
  17. track — a song
  18. chip — to eat
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. pop — music
  23. bound — certain
  24. drill — the tool

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