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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 120 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pass — a permit
  3. file — a document
  4. net — in sport
  5. cue — for pool
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. craft — a skill
  9. net — for catching
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. net — after costs
  17. cue — a hint
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. file — a tool
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. file — a line of people
  24. craft — boats

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