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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cell — in biology
  3. track — a path
  4. game — a match
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. object — an aim
  7. track — a song
  8. craft — boats
  9. bark — to shout
  10. game — wild animals
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. object — to protest
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cell — a phone
  16. craft — a skill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. track — to keep track
  23. object — a thing
  24. kick — in football

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