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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. pitch — completely
  3. scale — in music
  4. present — there
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. march — the month
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. march — the month
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. present — a gift
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. scale — size or range
  23. march — music
  24. scale — for weighing

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