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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. club — a group
  7. object — to protest
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. cell — a phone
  11. object — an aim
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. chip — for betting
  14. club — for dancing
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. band — a ring
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. band — a music group
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mug — a cup
  24. object — a thing

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