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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — a group
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. lean — to bend
  5. rush — hurry
  6. firm — decided
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. firm — steady
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. lean — thin
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. firm — a company
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cold — an illness
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. club — for golf
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. cold — not warm

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