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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. game — a match
  7. face — part of the head
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bass — the fish
  18. tube — a container
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. tube — the underground
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bass — low music

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