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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bass — low music
  3. mark — a grade
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. toast — bread
  7. row — a line
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bass — the fish
  12. drill — army training
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. drill — a practice
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bark — to shout
  24. dip — to sink

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