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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 · kid · club · nail · present · roll · board · perch

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. kid — to tease
  7. club — for golf
  8. present — a gift
  9. club — a group
  10. roll — a list
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. present — there
  14. bass — the fish
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kid — child
  17. present — the time now
  18. roll — a cake
  19. club — for dancing
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. nail — for a hammer

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