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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. club — for dancing
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bark — to shout
  6. board — to get on
  7. spring — a coil
  8. track — a path
  9. club — a group
  10. hand — in cards
  11. swing — music
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. club — for golf
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pop — to visit
  16. spring — of water
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. track — to keep track
  19. board — a committee
  20. spring — the season
  21. hand — help
  22. pop — music
  23. track — a song
  24. swing — in golf

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