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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 124 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. lean — thin
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bass — low music
  8. ground — the earth
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. court — for sport
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ground — a position
  13. cue — a signal
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. club — a group
  17. branch — a division
  18. bass — the fish
  19. court — of a king
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. club — for golf
  22. court — of law
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cue — a hint

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