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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. snap — to click
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cue — a signal
  6. firm — a company
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. club — a group
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. firm — steady
  11. stand — to bear
  12. row — a line
  13. firm — decided
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cue — for pool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cue — a hint
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cell — in biology
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. row — to paddle
  24. club — for dancing

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