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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chest · ball · bark · land · bass · track · snap · charge

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. chest — a box
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. charge — electricity
  6. snap — to click
  7. track — a song
  8. bass — the fish
  9. ball — a great time
  10. track — to keep track
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. land — a country
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bass — low music
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. chest — of your body
  18. track — a path
  19. land — ground
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — in control
  22. land — to come down
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bark — to shout

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