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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. hand — help
  3. pop — soda
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. track — a path
  6. hand — in cards
  7. march — the month
  8. suit — clothes
  9. pop — to visit
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bark — to shout
  13. track — a song
  14. bear — the animal
  15. suit — to fit
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pop — music
  20. march — music
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. march — the month

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