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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. net — for catching
  4. club — for dancing
  5. net — in sport
  6. perch — the fish
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. club — a group
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. kick — in football
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. net — after costs
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ruler — a monarch

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