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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bass — the fish
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. scale — in music
  11. bass — low music
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. game — wild animals
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bark — to shout
  21. cap — a lid
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bass — the instrument

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