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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bass — the fish
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pop — music
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. drill — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chair — a leader
  12. drill — a practice
  13. club — a group
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pop — soda
  17. perch — the fish
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bass — low music
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. drill — army training
  24. perch — for a bird

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