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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. ground — the earth
  3. track — a song
  4. club — for golf
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. content — the amount
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ground — crushed
  9. present — the time now
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. track — a path
  13. club — a group
  14. ground — a position
  15. present — a gift
  16. shower — to wash
  17. content — happy
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. present — there
  20. snap — to click
  21. club — for dancing
  22. track — to keep track
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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