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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. scale — in music
  4. club — for dancing
  5. dip — to sink
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. drill — the tool
  12. club — a group
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. snap — to click
  16. roll — a cake
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. drill — a practice
  22. roll — a list
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. drill — army training

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