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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bass — low music
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. drill — army training
  9. race — humankind
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. drill — a practice
  14. firm — decided
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — a company
  19. craft — boats
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. squash — the sport
  22. club — for dancing
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bark — to shout

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