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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. net — after costs
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. net — for catching
  5. bark — to shout
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. club — for golf
  8. key — in music
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — for a lock
  12. club — a group
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. net — in sport
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. club — for dancing
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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