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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · present · bass · swing · patient · mark · race · spell

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. present — a gift
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. present — the time now
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. ground — a position
  10. mark — a trace
  11. race — humankind
  12. mark — a grade
  13. spell — a short time
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spell — letters
  16. race — a contest
  17. ground — the earth
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bass — low music
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spell — magic
  23. bass — the fish
  24. present — there

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