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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. kid — child
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rock — music
  8. net — after costs
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. net — for catching
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. net — in sport
  13. bass — low music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bark — of a tree

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