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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bass — low music
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bass — the fish
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. tear — to rip
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tear — from crying
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. squash — to crush
  19. tear — from crying
  20. deal — to handle
  21. club — for golf
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. club — for dancing
  24. hide — animal skin

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