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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bass — low music
  3. deal — to handle
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. track — a path
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. track — a song
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. track — to keep track
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bass — the fish
  20. cold — not warm
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bark — to shout
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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