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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bass — low music
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. suit — in cards
  5. cap — of ice
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. chest — of your body
  10. spell — magic
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cap — a hat
  16. suit — to fit
  17. chest — of your body
  18. row — a line
  19. spell — letters
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. chest — a box
  22. cap — a lid
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. row — a quarrel

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