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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cue — a hint
  4. club — a group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rash — hasty
  7. club — for golf
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cue — for pool
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. band — a music group
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rash — a series
  15. hand — help
  16. tube — a container
  17. band — a ring
  18. cue — a signal
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. tube — the underground
  23. fork — in a road
  24. tube — in a tire

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