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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bass — low music
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. net — in sport
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pop — music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. kid — to tease
  10. can — a tin
  11. pop — soda
  12. bark — to shout
  13. can — a tin
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. net — for catching
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. net — after costs
  20. can — to be able to
  21. kid — child
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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