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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. current — happening now
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. current — electric
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. current — of water
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. pop — soda
  12. track — to keep track
  13. dip — to sink
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pop — to visit
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. track — a song
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bark — to shout
  22. track — a path
  23. kick — in football
  24. pop — music

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