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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. present — a gift
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bass — low music
  5. pop — soda
  6. spell — letters
  7. present — there
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pop — to visit
  11. present — the time now
  12. spell — a short time
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. staff — a stick
  15. spell — magic
  16. bark — to shout
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a line
  19. staff — employees
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. staff — employees
  24. pop — music

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