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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. board — a committee
  12. track — a song
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bass — the fish
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rash — hasty
  17. kid — child
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rash — a series
  23. track — a path
  24. perch — for a bird

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