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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. fine — all right
  3. spring — a coil
  4. charge — electricity
  5. track — a path
  6. charge — in control
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pop — to visit
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spring — the season
  12. club — for dancing
  13. track — a song
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pop — music
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. spring — of water
  19. club — a group
  20. charge — a price
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. track — to keep track
  23. net — for catching
  24. pop — soda

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