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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. last — final
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. game — a match
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. track — a song
  8. bass — low music
  9. track — a path
  10. last — to go on
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. game — wild animals
  13. club — for golf
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. track — to keep track
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bass — the fish
  19. club — a group
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. last — finally
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. club — for dancing

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