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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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. deal — a big deal
  4. mug — a cup
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. track — a path
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. mug — a face
  10. staff — employees
  11. press — to push
  12. staff — a stick
  13. track — a song
  14. club — for dancing
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mug — to rob
  17. staff — employees
  18. deal — to handle
  19. press — a publisher
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cell — in biology
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. track — to keep track

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