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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: bass · ball · lean · swing · ground · rest · race · track

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. ground — a position
  4. lean — thin
  5. track — a path
  6. bass — the fish
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ground — crushed
  10. race — humankind
  11. swing — music
  12. rest — a break
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — a contest
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. swing — to play on
  20. track — to keep track
  21. swing — in golf
  22. track — a song
  23. lean — to bend
  24. ball — a great time

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