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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 120 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 cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. last — final
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. track — a song
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bark — to shout
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. can — a tin
  16. last — finally
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wound — an injury
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chip — to eat
  23. last — to go on
  24. can — a tin

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