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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. band — a music group
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. current — of water
  7. rash — a series
  8. current — happening now
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. current — electric
  11. sharp — clever
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rash — hasty
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. roll — a cake
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pass — a permit
  21. band — a ring
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pass — to spend time

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