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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. swing — to play on
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bark — to shout
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. rest — what's left
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pop — music
  20. rest — a break
  21. drill — army training
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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