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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. hand — help
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bound — certain
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. squash — to crush
  13. can — to be able to
  14. scale — in music
  15. file — a document
  16. can — a tin
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. can — a tin
  20. hand — in cards
  21. club — for dancing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hide — to keep secret

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