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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bark — to shout
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pop — music
  11. dip — to sink
  12. net — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. net — after costs
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. net — for catching
  17. roll — a list
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. pop — soda
  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