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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wound — an injury
  3. club — for golf
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cue — for pool
  6. chest — a box
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. band — a music group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cue — a signal
  11. net — for catching
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. club — a group
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. band — a ring
  18. net — in sport
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rock — music
  22. net — after costs
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rock — a stone

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