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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: snap · race · firm · court · bark · root · cap · bass

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bass — low music
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bark — to shout
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — a company
  10. root — of a word
  11. race — humankind
  12. snap — to click
  13. bass — the fish
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. root — of a plant
  16. court — for sport
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cap — a lid
  19. race — a contest
  20. court — of a king
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. root — the cause
  23. cap — of ice
  24. court — of law

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