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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. march — music
  6. firm — steady
  7. land — a country
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. can — a tin
  11. march — the month
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. track — a song
  15. land — to come down
  16. firm — decided
  17. bark — to shout
  18. can — to be able to
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rock — a stone
  21. march — the month
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. land — ground
  24. can — a tin

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