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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. file — a line of people
  6. present — the time now
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. present — a gift
  11. rock — music
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. present — there
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. file — a document
  21. bass — the fish
  22. file — a tool
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bat — the animal

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