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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wound — an injury
  6. track — to keep track
  7. chest — of your body
  8. squash — the sport
  9. suit — to fit
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. chest — of your body
  12. suit — in cards
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bark — to shout
  15. track — a path
  16. face — to confront
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. suit — clothes
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. face — to point toward
  24. track — a song

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