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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. sharp — clever
  6. saw — the tool
  7. club — for golf
  8. pop — music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. dip — to sink
  11. perch — the fish
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pop — to visit
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pop — soda
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pound — a weight
  19. club — for dancing
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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