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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. tube — a container
  3. track — a song
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. track — to keep track
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. fine — all right
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. current — happening now
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. current — of water
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bark — to shout
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. current — electric
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. track — a path
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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