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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mug — a cup
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mug — a face
  8. wake — a trail
  9. track — a song
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. toast — bread
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. root — of a word
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mug — to rob
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bark — to shout
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pitcher — a jug

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