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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. file — a document
  4. drill — a practice
  5. net — after costs
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. drill — the tool
  10. net — for catching
  11. club — for golf
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. deal — to handle
  14. stand — to bear
  15. club — for dancing
  16. net — in sport
  17. drill — army training
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cell — in biology
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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