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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. bark — to shout
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fall — the season
  7. track — a path
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pass — a permit
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fall — to drop
  18. game — a match
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. track — to keep track
  21. net — after costs
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bark — of a tree
  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