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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'll be taking the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. craft — a skill
  5. squash — the sport
  6. present — there
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. present — the time now
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. squash — to crush
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pop — music
  22. snap — to click
  23. present — a gift
  24. craft — boats

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