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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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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bass — low music
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bound — tied together
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pop — music
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. foot — a measure
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bound — certain
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pitch — a sports field

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