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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — for golf
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. spring — of water
  6. kid — to tease
  7. spring — the season
  8. staff — employees
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — child
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. roll — a list
  13. club — a group
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. spring — a coil
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. sharp — clever
  18. staff — a stick
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. staff — employees
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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