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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. net — in sport
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. net — for catching
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. net — after costs
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bass — low music
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. march — the month
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. chip — for betting
  16. roll — a list
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chip — to eat
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bass — the fish
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. bark — to shout

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