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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. shower — rain
  3. club — for dancing
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. rash — a series
  8. last — final
  9. club — a group
  10. rest — what's left
  11. last — to go on
  12. shower — to wash
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bound — tied together
  15. ball — a dance
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rest — a break
  21. club — for golf
  22. last — finally
  23. rash — hasty
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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