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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bass — the fish
  3. scale — in music
  4. craft — boats
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. rash — a series
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. scale — size or range
  10. game — a match
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bass — low music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wound — an injury
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rash — hasty

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