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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. court — of law
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bark — to shout
  5. track — a path
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — for sport
  12. track — a song
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pound — a weight
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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