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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: pit · rash · field · pop · file · club · cabinet · bass

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. field — for sport
  3. pop — to visit
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. club — a group
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bass — low music
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. field — a subject
  13. file — a tool
  14. pop — soda
  15. bass — the fish
  16. field — farmland
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. club — for golf
  24. pop — music

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