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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bass — low music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. vault — a safe
  6. rule — government
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rule — a law
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. scale — in music
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. mine — for digging
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. scale — for weighing

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