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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. hand — help
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. key — in music
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. sharp — clever
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. key — the most important part
  15. hand — in cards
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for dancing
  18. rush — hurry
  19. key — for a lock
  20. fork — in a road
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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