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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bound — obliged
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bulb — for light
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rash — a series
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bound — certain
  15. mine — for digging
  16. club — for golf
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rash — hasty
  21. snap — to click
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. perch — for a bird

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