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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. race — humankind
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mug — a face
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bark — to shout
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mug — to rob
  23. race — a contest
  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