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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 is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. content — the amount
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rash — hasty
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. track — a path
  17. content — happy
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. mine — for digging
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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