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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. stand — to bear
  8. net — in sport
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. track — a song
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. net — for catching
  15. track — a path
  16. squash — the sport
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. net — after costs
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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