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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. staff — employees
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pop — music
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — the underground
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pop — soda
  12. staff — employees
  13. club — a group
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. club — for golf
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. tube — a container

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