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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. suit — in cards
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. track — a song
  6. squash — to crush
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bark — to shout
  9. suit — to fit
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. track — a path
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. track — to keep track
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fine — high quality
  24. bark — of a tree

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