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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. kid — to tease
  3. present — the time now
  4. club — a group
  5. snap — to click
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. present — there
  9. object — an aim
  10. kid — child
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. club — for golf
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. object — to protest
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. club — for dancing
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. object — a thing
  20. branch — a division
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. present — a gift
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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