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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. tube — the underground
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. tube — a container
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. club — a group
  9. deal — to handle
  10. face — to point toward
  11. club — for dancing
  12. current — happening now
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. face — part of the head
  15. chair — a leader
  16. current — electric
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. face — to confront
  23. rash — a series
  24. current — of water

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