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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mug — a face
  7. swing — music
  8. club — a group
  9. mug — a cup
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. march — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wound — an injury
  18. march — the month
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. march — the month
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pound — a weight

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