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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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 path
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rule — government
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bound — obliged
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. field — a subject
  13. net — after costs
  14. bound — certain
  15. track — a song
  16. rule — a law
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pound — a weight
  19. net — for catching
  20. bark — to shout
  21. net — in sport
  22. bound — tied together
  23. track — to keep track
  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