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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. race — a contest
  3. drill — army training
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pitch — completely
  6. toast — bread
  7. club — for golf
  8. race — humankind
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. field — farmland
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. drill — the tool
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. drill — a practice
  18. dip — to sink
  19. field — a subject
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. field — for sport
  24. bass — the fish

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