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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: court · rest · club · bass · tube · lean · pitcher · drill

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. drill — the tool
  3. court — of law
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bass — low music
  8. tube — a container
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bass — the fish
  11. tube — the underground
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for golf
  14. drill — army training
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. court — for sport
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. lean — thin
  19. club — for dancing
  20. rest — a break
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. court — of a king
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. drill — a practice

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