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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 124 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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. club — for golf
  4. track — a path
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. track — a song
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. ball — a great time
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. track — to keep track
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. ball — a dance
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. club — a group
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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