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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: club · bass · race · toast · ground · saw · court · pop

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. ground — a position
  6. bass — the fish
  7. court — for sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — of law
  10. race — a contest
  11. ground — crushed
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. court — of a king
  14. race — humankind
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bass — low music
  17. pop — soda
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pop — to visit
  22. toast — bread
  23. pop — music
  24. club — for golf

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