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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bark — to shout
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. track — to keep track
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fall — the season
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. track — a path
  18. drill — army training
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. track — a song
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. net — in sport

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