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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rock — a stone
  6. staff — employees
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. mark — a grade
  9. net — in sport
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. net — after costs
  12. staff — employees
  13. club — for golf
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lean — thin
  18. mark — a trace
  19. staff — a stick
  20. lean — to bend
  21. rush — hurry
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. file — a document
  24. net — for catching

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