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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: mine · club · bass · sharp · roll · deal · rule · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. rule — a law
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. bass — the fish
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. club — for golf
  15. deal — to handle
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. pop — soda
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. roll — a list
  20. sharp — clever
  21. roll — a cake
  22. rule — government
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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