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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. club — for dancing
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mark — a trace
  5. ground — a position
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ground — the earth
  8. club — a group
  9. ground — crushed
  10. track — a song
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bark — to shout
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. track — a path
  16. hand — help
  17. board — a committee
  18. club — for golf
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. board — to get on
  22. track — to keep track
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. fall — the season

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