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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mate — a friend
  3. club — a group
  4. snap — to click
  5. club — for golf
  6. shower — rain
  7. ground — a position
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mate — to breed
  10. deal — to handle
  11. ground — crushed
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. club — for dancing
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mate — a partner
  20. ground — the earth
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. saw — the tool
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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