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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bound — tied together
  4. ball — a dance
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. field — a subject
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ball — a great time
  10. plane — a tool
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bound — obliged
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bound — certain
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. field — for sport
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. field — farmland
  23. bass — the fish
  24. squash — the vegetable

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