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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · mark · last · cell · mouse · pitcher · track · pass

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mark — a trace
  8. last — final
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. track — a path
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bark — to shout
  16. last — finally
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. track — a song
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. last — to go on
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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