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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 120 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: present · coach · club · bass · game · land · fine · wound

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wound — an injury
  3. present — a gift
  4. game — wild animals
  5. present — there
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bass — the fish
  8. present — the time now
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bass — low music
  14. game — a match
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. land — a country
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. land — to come down
  21. wound — an injury
  22. club — for golf
  23. land — ground
  24. fine — all right

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