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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 120 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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pop — soda
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stand — to bear
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pop — music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bass — low music
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. club — for golf
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stand — for spectators

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