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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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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: cell · hand · pit · wake · club · chair · bass · pop

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. bass — low music
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pop — music
  7. wake — a trail
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bass — the fish
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pop — soda

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