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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bark — to shout
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. sharp — clever
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pass — a permit
  14. game — a match
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. capital — a city
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. capital — money
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. game — a kind of play

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