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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bass — the fish
  4. sharp — clever
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. season — in sport
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. object — an aim
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. object — a thing
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. content — the amount
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. content — happy
  19. bass — low music
  20. bark — to shout
  21. season — of the year
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. object — to protest
  24. band — a ring

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