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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — for dancing
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. spell — magic
  5. club — a group
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. season — of the year
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. fall — to drop
  10. snap — to click
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bat — the animal
  18. season — in sport
  19. fall — the season
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fall — to drop
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — hurry

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