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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. track — a path
  3. spring — the season
  4. chip — to eat
  5. ground — the earth
  6. chip — for betting
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. net — for catching
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mark — a grade
  14. track — a song
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. track — to keep track
  20. net — in sport
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. spring — of water
  24. net — after costs

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