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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. clip — a video
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. current — electric
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bass — low music
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. clip — for paper
  15. current — of water
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. field — a subject
  19. current — happening now
  20. bass — the fish
  21. field — for sport
  22. drill — the tool
  23. field — farmland
  24. clip — to cut

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