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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rash — a series
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bass — low music
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bass — the fish
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. tear — to rip
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chip — for betting
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pitch — completely
  24. snap — to click

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