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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. rush — hurry
  3. court — of a king
  4. drill — army training
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. court — of law
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. firm — a company
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pound — a weight
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — decided
  17. bass — low music
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. court — for sport

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