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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. roll — a cake
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pit — a hole
  5. drill — a practice
  6. roll — a list
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. can — to be able to
  9. drill — army training
  10. bass — low music
  11. club — for dancing
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. swing — in golf
  14. can — a tin
  15. drill — the tool
  16. swing — music
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. club — a group
  20. swing — to play on
  21. can — a tin
  22. pit — in a race
  23. club — for golf
  24. bass — the fish

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