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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 · season · ball · pop · bark · race · safe · bass

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. race — a contest
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bass — low music
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. last — finally
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pop — to visit
  13. last — final
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. season — of the year
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. last — to go on
  19. season — in sport
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bass — the fish
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. safe — a strongbox

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