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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. track — to keep track
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bound — tied together
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bass — low music
  11. game — a match
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. track — a song
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bass — the fish
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bark — to shout
  18. track — a path
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bound — certain
  22. cell — a phone
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. game — wild animals

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