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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. track — a path
  3. can — a tin
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. can — a tin
  8. net — after costs
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. net — for catching
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. net — in sport
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. track — a song
  23. shower — rain
  24. can — to be able to

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