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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mark — a trace
  12. object — a thing
  13. fine — all right
  14. pass — a permit
  15. object — to protest
  16. bass — low music
  17. rest — a break
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. wind — moving air
  20. object — an aim
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bark — of a tree
  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