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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. club — for golf
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. foot — a measure
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rash — a series
  10. bass — the fish
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. club — a group
  15. scale — in music
  16. file — a document
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rash — hasty
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bass — low music
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. club — for dancing

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