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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. last — to go on
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. ball — a dance
  5. board — a committee
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ball — a great time
  11. snap — to click
  12. rash — a series
  13. drill — army training
  14. rash — hasty
  15. board — to get on
  16. club — a group
  17. last — final
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. last — finally
  22. club — for dancing
  23. mate — to breed
  24. drill — the tool

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