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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 120 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bass — low music
  3. face — part of the head
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bass — the fish
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mug — a cup
  8. club — for dancing
  9. kick — in football
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. club — a group
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mug — a face
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. rock — music
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mug — to rob
  22. face — to point toward
  23. branch — a division
  24. face — to confront

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