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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. roll — a list
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. saw — the tool
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. snap — to click
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bass — the fish
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. board — a committee
  14. bark — to shout
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. board — to get on

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