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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. club — a group
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. club — for dancing
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pop — soda
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. club — for golf
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mug — a face
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pop — music
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. game — wild animals

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