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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. row — to paddle
  3. date — the fruit
  4. club — for golf
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pop — to visit
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. pop — music
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pop — soda
  13. row — a line
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. can — to be able to
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. can — a tin
  20. club — a group
  21. can — a tin
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mate — a friend
  24. date — on the calendar

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