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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. file — a line of people
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. object — to protest
  6. ball — a dance
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. object — a thing
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. club — for dancing
  11. object — an aim
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. file — a document
  14. ball — a great time
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. club — for golf
  17. chair — a leader
  18. stem — to come from
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. file — a tool
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. tube — a container
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stem — of a plant

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