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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. spell — a short time
  3. track — a path
  4. fine — all right
  5. track — a song
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. spell — letters
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. track — to keep track
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. pop — soda
  18. chair — a leader
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. spell — magic
  21. bark — to shout
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pop — music
  24. bark — of a tree

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