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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fork — in a road
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. ground — a position
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ground — the earth
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. net — for catching
  15. track — a path
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. net — after costs
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. ball — a great time
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. ground — crushed
  23. net — in sport
  24. fork — a garden 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