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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: suit · deal · mine · ball · bark · pop · rash · track

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. suit — in cards
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. suit — clothes
  11. bark — to shout
  12. track — a song
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. track — a path
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pop — soda
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rash — a series
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pop — music
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rash — hasty
  24. ball — a great time

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