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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bank — of a river
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. mine — for digging
  5. club — for dancing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. toast — bread
  8. snap — to click
  9. suit — in cards
  10. cold — an illness
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. club — for golf
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bank — for money
  17. suit — clothes
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bank — for money
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. scale — in music
  22. cold — not warm
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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