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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. row — a line
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. club — for dancing
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cell — a phone
  16. season — of the year
  17. club — for golf
  18. season — in sport
  19. cell — in biology
  20. row — to paddle
  21. squash — the sport
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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