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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. kid — child
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. club — for dancing
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. club — a group
  14. row — to paddle
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. staff — employees
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. staff — employees
  21. row — a line
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — a law
  24. staff — a stick

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