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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. club — a group
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bass — the fish
  8. game — a match
  9. rest — what's left
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. game — wild animals
  14. roll — a list
  15. rest — what's left
  16. club — for dancing
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. club — for golf
  19. bass — low music
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. rest — a break
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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