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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. ball — a dance
  4. net — for catching
  5. bass — the fish
  6. net — in sport
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rash — hasty
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rash — a series
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bark — to shout
  20. track — a path
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bass — low music
  23. ball — a great time
  24. net — after costs

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