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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. club — for golf
  8. field — for sport
  9. current — happening now
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. current — electric
  15. lean — thin
  16. current — of water
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. sharp — clever
  21. snap — to click
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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