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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fall — to drop
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. drill — the tool
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rush — hurry
  17. drill — army training
  18. temple — side of the head

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