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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. fork — in a road
  7. face — to confront
  8. swing — music
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bass — the fish
  17. face — to point toward
  18. drill — the tool
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. swing — to play on
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. swing — in golf
  24. drill — army training

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