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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. shower — rain
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bear — the animal
  6. object — to protest
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pass — a permit
  13. object — an aim
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bear — the animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cue — a hint
  22. object — a thing
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. club — for dancing

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