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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bark — to shout
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bound — certain
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bass — low music
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. track — a path
  16. saw — the tool
  17. track — a song
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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