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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. club — a group
  3. snap — to click
  4. bank — for money
  5. race — humankind
  6. scale — in music
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bark — to shout
  14. race — a contest
  15. mate — to breed
  16. net — after costs
  17. race — the arms race
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bank — for money
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bank — of a river
  24. scale — for weighing

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