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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. club — for dancing
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. season — of the year
  6. roll — a list
  7. season — in sport
  8. bark — to shout
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. roll — a cake
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. root — the cause
  15. track — a path
  16. root — of a word
  17. rock — music
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — a group
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. root — of a plant
  24. track — a song

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