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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 124 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. cue — a signal
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. spell — magic
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bore — to tire
  8. spell — a short time
  9. club — for golf
  10. bore — to drill
  11. club — for dancing
  12. staff — employees
  13. race — humankind
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. race — a contest
  16. cue — for pool
  17. race — the arms race
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cue — a hint
  20. spell — letters
  21. season — of the year
  22. staff — employees
  23. season — in sport
  24. bore — gave birth

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