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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bass — low music
  8. ball — a great time
  9. club — for golf
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. club — a group
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. bark — to shout
  18. wind — moving air
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wind — to turn a key

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