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

Word bank: deal · date · bark · drill · bass · pound · roll · toast

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. drill — army training
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bark — to shout
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bass — low music
  13. roll — a list
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. toast — bread
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. date — the fruit
  18. pound — a weight
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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