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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. stock — goods
  6. pitch — completely
  7. spell — magic
  8. club — for dancing
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — letters
  14. stock — shares
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. march — the month
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. vault — a safe
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bass — the fish
  23. march — music
  24. chair — a leader

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