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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. net — for catching
  3. perch — the fish
  4. club — a group
  5. file — a document
  6. club — for golf
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bound — obliged
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. file — a tool
  13. pass — a permit
  14. net — after costs
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. chest — of your body
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bound — certain
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. file — a line of people
  22. chest — a box
  23. net — in sport
  24. bound — tied together

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