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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: bark · temple · wound · date · pitcher · toast · track · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. toast — bread
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wound — an injury
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — a path
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bark — to shout
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. track — a song
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. track — to keep track
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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