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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: chest · squash · track · rest · bark · deal · pop · mark

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. chest — of your body
  3. track — to keep track
  4. chest — a box
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pop — soda
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rest — a break
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bark — to shout
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pop — music
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mark — a trace
  16. track — a path
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pop — to visit

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