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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. content — happy
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. club — for golf
  8. swing — to play on
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. content — the amount
  16. club — a group
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mouse — for a computer

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