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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bass — the fish
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. club — a group
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bass — low music
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. march — the month
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. content — happy
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. content — the amount
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bass — the instrument

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