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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. ground — the earth
  5. row — to paddle
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. row — a line
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. track — a path
  12. saw — the tool
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bark — to shout
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. ground — crushed
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. track — a song
  24. bear — the animal

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