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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: scale · bass · mate · chip · bark · game · spell · bay

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. scale — in music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bark — to shout
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. game — wild animals
  11. spell — letters
  12. mate — a partner
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mate — to breed
  20. spell — a short time
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bass — low music
  23. game — a match
  24. spell — magic

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