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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. file — a document
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. file — a tool
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bass — low music
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bass — the fish
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. kick — in football
  23. file — a line of people
  24. scale — for weighing

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