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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. race — a contest
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. club — for dancing
  7. root — of a plant
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. club — for golf
  13. content — happy
  14. race — humankind
  15. club — a group
  16. rock — music
  17. content — the amount
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. rock — a stone
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stand — to bear

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