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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 116 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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. board — to get on
  3. file — a document
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mate — a partner
  6. ground — a position
  7. club — for golf
  8. file — a tool
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. club — a group
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bark — to shout
  16. file — a line of people
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. club — for dancing
  22. ground — crushed
  23. board — a committee
  24. bass — the fish

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