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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cell — a phone
  3. spell — magic
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cell — in biology
  6. board — to get on
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. spell — letters
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rule — a law
  11. club — a group
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. row — a line
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. spell — a short time
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. board — a committee
  21. rule — government
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. row — a quarrel

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