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

Word bank: bark · bear · bowl · squash · pit · chest · track · rule

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rule — a law
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. rule — government
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. pit — a hole
  15. chest — a box
  16. track — a path
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bear — the animal
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pit — in a race

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