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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rest — what's left
  3. row — to paddle
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. deal — to handle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rest — a break
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fall — to drop
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. fall — to drop
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. hand — help
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tube — a container
  18. fall — the season
  19. club — for dancing
  20. hand — in cards
  21. row — a line
  22. club — a group
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rest — what's left

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