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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. capital — money
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ball — a great time
  10. key — the most important part
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bass — the fish
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. key — in music
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bass — low music
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. key — for a lock
  23. capital — a city
  24. fan — to cool the air

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