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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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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: field · suit · club · pit · snap · prune · chair · bass

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. snap — to click
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bass — low music
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pit — a hole
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. club — for golf
  10. field — farmland
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. suit — in cards
  13. prune — to trim
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. chair — a leader
  18. field — for sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bass — the fish
  21. field — a subject
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. suit — to fit
  24. prune — the fruit

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