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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. club — a group
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mug — a cup
  6. swing — in golf
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bat — the animal
  11. swing — music
  12. pound — a weight
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. game — a match
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. craft — boats
  22. club — for golf
  23. rash — hasty
  24. craft — a skill

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