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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. plane — a tool
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. track — a path
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bound — obliged
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. track — a song
  19. bound — certain
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. deal — to handle
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bound — tied together

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