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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 cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. club — for golf
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bear — the animal
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. club — a group
  13. bat — the animal
  14. content — the amount
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. content — happy
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bear — the animal
  22. kid — child
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. club — for dancing

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