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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. last — final
  4. swing — music
  5. rash — hasty
  6. last — finally
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. last — to go on
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. suit — clothes
  15. rash — a series
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. suit — in cards
  18. swing — to play on
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. swing — in golf
  22. suit — to fit
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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