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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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. ground — a position
  7. squash — to crush
  8. ground — the earth
  9. track — a path
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bat — the animal

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