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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. can — to be able to
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. net — after costs
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. can — a tin
  10. present — a gift
  11. ground — crushed
  12. present — there
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ground — a position
  15. bark — to shout
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. net — for catching
  19. present — the time now
  20. can — a tin
  21. track — to keep track
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. net — in sport
  24. ground — the earth

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