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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. bore — to tire
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. club — a group
  6. chest — of your body
  7. net — after costs
  8. saw — the tool
  9. net — in sport
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. club — for golf
  15. saw — the tool
  16. chest — of your body
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. club — for dancing
  19. chest — a box
  20. bass — the fish
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. net — for catching

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