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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. mark — a grade
  3. track — a song
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mate — a partner
  9. kid — child
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. key — the most important part
  12. roll — a cake
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. key — for a lock
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. roll — a list

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