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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. field — farmland
  3. squash — to crush
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. club — a group
  7. snap — to click
  8. club — for dancing
  9. squash — the sport
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. field — for sport
  13. bound — certain
  14. field — a subject
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pound — a weight
  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