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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bark — to shout
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. track — a path
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. drill — army training
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. drill — the tool
  11. sharp — clever
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ground — a position
  19. drill — a practice
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. track — a song
  22. ground — the earth
  23. track — to keep track
  24. leaves — 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