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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. track — a song
  3. bark — to shout
  4. current — of water
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. field — farmland
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. track — a path
  10. shower — to wash
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. net — in sport
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. current — happening now
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. field — a subject
  18. net — after costs
  19. track — to keep track
  20. shower — rain
  21. current — electric
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. net — for catching
  24. field — for sport

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