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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cold — an illness
  3. club — a group
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. club — for dancing
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cold — not warm
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bark — to shout
  20. club — for golf
  21. bass — low music
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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