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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. ball — a dance
  5. present — a gift
  6. last — final
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. last — to go on
  10. track — a path
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. track — a song
  13. dip — to sink
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bark — to shout
  16. stem — to come from
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. present — there
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. present — the time now
  23. last — finally
  24. mouse — for a computer

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