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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. wind — moving air
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pop — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pop — to visit
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. rock — music
  12. row — to paddle
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pop — soda
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bark — to shout
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bass — low music
  21. wind — moving air
  22. row — a line
  23. ground — a position
  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