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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 120 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: file · mark · bound · bass · sharp · racket · club · rock

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mark — a trace
  6. club — a group
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. club — for golf
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bound — tied together
  12. file — a tool
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bound — certain
  24. file — a document

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