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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pass — a permit
  3. row — to paddle
  4. capital — money
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. file — a document
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. capital — a city
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. row — a line
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. tube — a container
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. file — a line of people
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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