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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. last — finally
  3. net — in sport
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. squash — to crush
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bark — to shout
  8. fine — all right
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ball — a dance
  12. fine — high quality
  13. last — to go on
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. foot — a measure
  20. last — final
  21. squash — the sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. ball — a great time

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