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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 dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. spell — a short time
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. shower — to wash
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rash — a series
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. shower — rain
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. bark — to shout
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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