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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wind — moving air
  4. current — of water
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cue — for pool
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pitch — completely
  15. cue — a signal
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. track — a song
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. track — a path
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bark — to shout
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — electric

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