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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 124 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. cue — a hint
  10. club — a group
  11. wake — a trail
  12. chest — of your body
  13. club — for dancing
  14. mine — for digging
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. cue — a signal
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. cue — for pool
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. chest — a box
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. plane — a tool

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