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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cap — a hat
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mate — a partner
  6. club — for golf
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. net — in sport
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. cap — of ice
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bark — to shout
  20. net — after costs
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. net — for catching
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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