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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. cap — of ice
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rush — hurry
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. date — the fruit
  9. club — for dancing
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. club — for golf
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. spring — of water
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. spring — the season
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wake — a trail
  24. spring — a coil

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