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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pit — a hole
  4. cold — not warm
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fine — high quality
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spell — magic
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fine — all right
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pit — in a race
  19. cold — an illness
  20. spell — letters
  21. rash — a series
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. fine — a penalty

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