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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rule — a law
  4. club — for dancing
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. deal — to handle
  8. band — a music group
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. season — in sport
  11. bass — low music
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. club — a group
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. rule — government
  17. wound — an injury
  18. band — a ring
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. wound — an injury

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