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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. last — to go on
  4. mark — a trace
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. last — final
  11. shower — to wash
  12. club — for golf
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. board — to get on
  18. last — finally
  19. shower — rain
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. club — a group

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