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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: dip · rule · club · bass · roll · pitcher · nail · race

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. race — a contest
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rule — a law
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. race — humankind
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. club — for dancing
  13. roll — a list
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bass — the fish
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. roll — a cake
  18. club — a group
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rule — government
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. club — for golf
  24. nail — for a hammer

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