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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 116 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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wound — an injury
  3. club — for dancing
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. staff — a stick
  9. lie — to recline
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. staff — employees
  12. club — for golf
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. game — a match
  18. staff — employees
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wound — an injury
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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