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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. kid — child
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. suit — clothes
  5. kid — to tease
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bass — the fish
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. suit — to fit
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bark — to shout
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. rush — hurry
  16. game — a match
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. suit — in cards
  24. game — wild animals

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