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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bass — low music
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. drill — army training
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bass — the fish
  15. club — a group
  16. content — the amount
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. content — happy
  19. bulb — for light
  20. club — for golf
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mine — for digging
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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