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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 116 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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. press — a publisher
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. press — newspapers
  9. club — a group
  10. bass — low music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. press — to push
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bore — to drill
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. swing — music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. club — for golf
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. fork — in a road

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