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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 116 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bound — certain
  4. club — a group
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. club — for golf
  7. ground — a position
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — a permit
  10. row — to paddle
  11. ground — the earth
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bass — low music
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bound — obliged
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. row — a line
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mine — for digging
  23. plane — a tool
  24. ground — crushed

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