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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: lean · ball · present · club · pop · bass · shower · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bass — the fish
  3. ball — a dance
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — there
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. club — a group
  8. pop — music
  9. last — finally
  10. pop — to visit
  11. last — final
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bass — low music
  14. present — a gift
  15. lean — thin
  16. pop — soda
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. shower — to wash

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