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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.

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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: pass · chip · bark · kick · bear · bat · object · track

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. object — to protest
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — a thing
  11. kick — in football
  12. track — a song
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bat — the animal
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. bear — the animal

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