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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. game — a match
  3. swing — in golf
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. rest — what's left
  7. club — for dancing
  8. swing — to play on
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rest — a break
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rash — a series
  14. rest — what's left
  15. club — a group
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. swing — music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bass — the fish
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. club — for golf

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