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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. spell — a short time
  5. track — a song
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. spell — letters
  8. fall — to drop
  9. track — to keep track
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. net — after costs
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — magic
  14. net — in sport
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. key — the most important part
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. club — a group
  19. bass — low music
  20. fall — the season
  21. track — a path
  22. key — in music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. key — for a lock

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