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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bass — the fish
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rock — music
  5. club — a group
  6. foot — a measure
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. content — happy
  10. bass — low music
  11. track — a song
  12. rock — a stone
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. track — a path
  16. content — the amount
  17. club — for golf
  18. track — to keep track
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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