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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. stand — to bear
  6. track — a song
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. current — of water
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. current — happening now
  12. track — to keep track
  13. saw — the tool
  14. capital — money
  15. saw — the tool
  16. net — in sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. net — after costs
  19. track — a path
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. capital — a city
  22. current — electric
  23. net — for catching
  24. bark — to shout

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