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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. current — happening now
  7. cap — of ice
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. season — in sport
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cap — a lid
  13. current — of water
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. track — a path
  17. current — electric
  18. ball — a great time
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. season — of the year
  22. club — for dancing
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — 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