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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. drill — a practice
  4. game — wild animals
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stock — goods
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rush — hurry
  11. swing — music
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. drill — army training
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. game — a match
  17. track — a path
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bass — low music
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. track — a song
  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