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

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ground — crushed
  3. race — a contest
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a great time
  6. club — a group
  7. ground — a position
  8. bass — low music
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bass — the fish
  11. ground — the earth
  12. race — the arms race
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. club — for golf
  22. band — a music group
  23. race — humankind
  24. band — a ring

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