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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. bass — low music
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rock — music
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rule — government
  9. hand — help
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rule — a law
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bass — the fish
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. squash — the sport
  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