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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bark — to shout
  6. last — finally
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. field — for sport
  13. object — an aim
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. chip — for betting
  17. field — a subject
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — a thing
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bass — low music
  22. field — farmland
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bass — the fish

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