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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pit — in a race
  10. cold — an illness
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. track — a path
  22. chair — a leader
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a song

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