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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. snap — to click
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. tube — the underground
  9. squash — the sport
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. squash — to crush
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. suit — to fit
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. club — a group
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. tube — a container
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. suit — in cards

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