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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. club — for dancing
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bass — low music
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rest — what's left
  12. degree — temperature
  13. staff — employees
  14. club — for golf
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. club — a group
  18. rest — a break
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. rest — what's left
  22. field — a subject
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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