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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rush — hurry
  5. march — the month
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. march — music
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rest — what's left
  12. march — the month
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fork — in a road
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. rush — to hurry

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