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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. fall — to drop
  3. club — for golf
  4. plane — a tool
  5. net — after costs
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — a group
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. net — for catching
  17. fall — the season
  18. bore — to drill
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bore — to tire
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. ball — a dance
  23. net — in sport
  24. fall — to drop

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