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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bass — the fish
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bass — low music
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for golf
  8. dip — to sink
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. court — of law
  12. saw — the tool
  13. court — of a king
  14. band — a ring
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pop — music
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pop — to visit
  22. court — for sport
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music 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