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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. club — for golf
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. spring — the season
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bat — the animal
  16. lie — to recline
  17. spring — of water
  18. rule — government
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rule — a law

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