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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 · pitcher · race · toast · bass · club · deal · fine

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. race — humankind
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bass — low music
  8. club — for golf
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. fine — all right
  11. club — for dancing
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bass — the fish
  14. deal — to handle
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. race — a contest
  19. club — a group
  20. lean — thin
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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