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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bass — low music
  6. field — a subject
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. field — farmland
  11. bass — the fish
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. club — a group
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. club — for golf
  17. field — for sport
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. club — for dancing
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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