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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. court — of law
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. net — after costs
  6. saw — the tool
  7. net — in sport
  8. track — a path
  9. fine — high quality
  10. spring — the season
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bass — low music
  13. court — of a king
  14. bass — the fish
  15. net — for catching
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. court — for sport
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. spring — a coil
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spring — of water
  24. fine — all right

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