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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rash — hasty
  6. shower — rain
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. current — of water
  9. club — a group
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. shower — to wash
  13. current — happening now
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. foot — a measure
  19. current — electric
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rash — a series
  24. foot — part of the body

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