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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bark — to shout
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. object — a thing
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. staff — employees
  17. last — final
  18. staff — employees
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. object — an aim
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. track — a path

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