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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bass — low music
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. season — in sport
  9. spring — the season
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bass — the fish
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. track — a song
  15. bat — the animal
  16. track — a path
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. club — for golf
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. spring — of water
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. bark — to shout
  24. spring — a coil

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