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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cue — for pool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. net — for catching
  10. cue — a hint
  11. rest — what's left
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. cue — a signal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. net — after costs
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. shower — rain
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. club — a group
  24. net — in sport

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