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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: ground · saw · bass · snap · rash · object · sharp · club

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. object — to protest
  3. bass — low music
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. snap — to click
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rash — a series
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bass — the fish
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. ground — a position
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. saw — the tool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. club — a group
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ground — the earth
  23. club — for golf
  24. bass — the instrument

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