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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. key — for a lock
  5. race — the arms race
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. tube — a container
  8. race — a contest
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. race — humankind
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bass — low music
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. wake — a trail
  20. tube — the underground
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. key — in music

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