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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. can — a tin
  5. present — there
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bark — to shout
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. dip — to sink
  13. present — a gift
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. band — a ring
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. track — a path
  19. band — a music group
  20. track — a song
  21. can — a tin
  22. present — the time now
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rock — music

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