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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. sharp — clever
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mate — a partner
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wound — an injury
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mate — a friend
  15. club — a group
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mate — to breed
  19. hand — help
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pass — a permit
  22. club — for golf
  23. wound — an injury
  24. dip — to dunk

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