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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · track · net · stock · key · race · bark · date

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bark — to shout
  4. net — in sport
  5. stock — shares
  6. net — for catching
  7. track — a song
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. race — the arms race
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. track — a path
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. key — in music
  15. track — to keep track
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. race — a contest
  18. net — after costs
  19. race — humankind
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. date — the fruit
  22. stock — goods
  23. key — for a lock
  24. date — on the calendar

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