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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: perch · pop · object · ground · bass · swing · drill · last

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. last — final
  3. pop — to visit
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — finally
  6. bass — the fish
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pop — music
  10. ground — a position
  11. swing — in golf
  12. drill — the tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. object — to protest
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bass — low music
  17. perch — the fish
  18. last — to go on
  19. swing — music
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. pop — soda
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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