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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bear — the animal
  6. sharp — clever
  7. club — a group
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bear — the animal
  10. drill — army training
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rule — government
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rule — a law
  16. present — the time now
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. tube — the underground
  20. present — a gift
  21. tube — a container
  22. present — there
  23. club — for dancing
  24. rule — to rule out

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