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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. file — a tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pop — soda
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pop — to visit
  9. board — to get on
  10. bank — for money
  11. bass — the fish
  12. field — a subject
  13. pop — music
  14. board — a committee
  15. bank — of a river
  16. field — farmland
  17. ground — a position
  18. file — a document
  19. field — for sport
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. file — a line of people
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bank — for money
  24. ground — the earth

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