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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: lash · sharp · chest · shower · racket · bark · track · pit

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. shower — rain
  5. pit — in a race
  6. chest — a box
  7. pit — a hole
  8. track — to keep track
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. track — a song
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bark — to shout
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. shower — to wash

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