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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cap — of ice
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mark — a grade
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. chip — for betting
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. club — a group
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chip — to eat
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cap — a hat
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cap — a lid
  17. wound — an injury
  18. row — a line
  19. ball — a dance
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mark — a trace
  23. club — for dancing
  24. chip — in a computer

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