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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bass — low music
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. net — in sport
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bark — to shout
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. wax — to grow
  19. net — after costs
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bass — the instrument

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