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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. mine — for digging
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ball — a dance
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. lash — to lash out

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