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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · tear · cue · roll · bass · bark · net · ball

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. net — for catching
  12. roll — a list
  13. cue — a hint
  14. last — finally
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bark — to shout
  19. last — to go on
  20. cue — a signal
  21. net — after costs
  22. last — final
  23. net — in sport
  24. ball — a great time

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