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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cell — a phone
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. club — a group
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bass — low music
  16. net — for catching
  17. bound — certain
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bound — tied together
  20. fork — in a road
  21. cell — in biology
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. club — for golf
  24. mate — to breed

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