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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. roll — a list
  4. rest — a break
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. track — a path
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. row — to paddle
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bound — obliged
  12. track — a song
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bound — certain
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rest — what's left
  24. row — a line

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