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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pop — music
  10. mate — to breed
  11. club — for golf
  12. mate — a friend
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. tube — the underground
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pop — soda
  18. tube — a container
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. scale — in music
  23. row — a line
  24. scale — size or range

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