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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. net — in sport
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. net — for catching
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. net — after costs
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. ball — a dance
  14. mate — a partner
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. date — the fruit
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bass — the fish

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