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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. race — a contest
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cue — for pool
  11. race — humankind
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. rock — music
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bear — the animal
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — a hole

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