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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cell — in biology
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. foot — a measure
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cell — a phone
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bark — to shout
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. track — a song
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. chair — a professorship

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