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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rest — a break
  3. pit — in a race
  4. track — a song
  5. file — a tool
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rest — what's left
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mark — a grade
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mark — a trace
  17. file — a document
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. branch — a division
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. track — a path
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. track — to keep track

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