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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. mug — a cup
  4. content — happy
  5. mug — to rob
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. saw — the tool
  11. file — a document
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. club — for golf
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. club — for dancing
  18. file — a tool
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. content — the amount
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mug — a face
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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