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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. net — in sport
  4. can — a tin
  5. net — for catching
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. track — a song
  9. cold — not warm
  10. key — for a lock
  11. net — after costs
  12. track — a path
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cold — an illness
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. key — in music
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pound — a weight
  23. key — the most important part
  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