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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bound — tied together
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bound — certain
  7. club — for dancing
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rash — hasty
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. prune — to trim
  13. key — in music
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bound — obliged
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rash — a series
  19. key — the most important part
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. club — for golf
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. plane — an aircraft

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