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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pound — a weight
  6. club — a group
  7. ball — a great time
  8. sharp — clever
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. staff — employees
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. chest — a box
  19. club — for dancing
  20. staff — employees
  21. chip — to eat
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wake — a trail

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