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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. track — a song
  3. craft — boats
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. object — a thing
  7. bore — to drill
  8. object — an aim
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. hand — help
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. object — to protest
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bass — low music
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. track — a path
  22. hand — in cards
  23. craft — a skill
  24. ball — a great time

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