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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mug — a cup
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. track — a path
  9. row — a line
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bass — the fish
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bass — low music
  18. bat — the animal
  19. key — in music
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. tear — to rip
  24. club — a group

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