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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. track — a path
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pound — a weight
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. lie — to recline
  13. track — a song
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. drill — army training
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. track — to keep track
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bark — 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