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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. spell — a short time
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. row — to paddle
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. spell — magic
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. club — a group
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cell — in biology
  21. row — a line
  22. spell — letters
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. ground — the earth

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