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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. spell — letters
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. game — a match
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. spell — magic
  21. pound — a weight
  22. mark — a trace
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. game — a kind of play

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