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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 is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fine — all right
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bat — the animal
  8. spell — letters
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. rest — a break
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. staff — employees
  15. track — a path
  16. bark — to shout
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lean — to bend
  20. track — to keep track
  21. fine — high quality
  22. lean — thin
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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