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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bass — low music
  3. capital — money
  4. bound — obliged
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bound — tied together
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bound — certain
  12. file — a document
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. club — for golf
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. club — for dancing
  17. capital — a city
  18. club — a group
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. court — of a king
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. file — a tool
  24. bass — the fish

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