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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 116 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pitch — completely
  5. lie — to recline
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. drill — army training
  10. file — a document
  11. drill — a practice
  12. craft — boats
  13. file — a tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bark — to shout
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bass — low music
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. drill — the tool
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. file — a line of people
  24. craft — a skill

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