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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bark — to shout
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bass — low music
  11. wake — a trail
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. game — a match
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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