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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. firm — a company
  5. court — of a king
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bass — low music
  8. current — of water
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. game — wild animals
  12. firm — decided
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. court — of law
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. current — happening now
  22. court — for sport
  23. bass — the fish
  24. current — electric

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