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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mug — a face
  3. track — to keep track
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. foot — a measure
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mug — to rob
  14. track — a path
  15. squash — to crush
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bass — low music
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. club — a group
  20. track — a song
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. ground — a position
  24. club — for golf

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