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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bark — to shout
  3. track — a path
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. track — a song
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pound — a weight
  10. net — after costs
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. straw — a straw man

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