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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. club — for golf
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. club — for dancing
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. season — in sport
  7. track — a path
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. club — a group
  10. bark — to shout
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pop — soda
  14. snap — to click
  15. bass — low music
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pop — to visit
  19. track — a song
  20. season — of the year
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bark — of a tree

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