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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bound — obliged
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bound — certain
  9. bass — low music
  10. club — for dancing
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bass — the fish
  15. club — a group
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. track — a path
  19. rock — music
  20. track — a song
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. racket — for tennis

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