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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. swing — to play on
  3. scale — in music
  4. club — for golf
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fall — the season
  7. rash — hasty
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rash — a series
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wake — a trail
  13. fall — to drop
  14. swing — music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. club — for dancing
  17. fall — to drop
  18. saw — the tool
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. club — a group
  22. swing — in golf
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bass — low music

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