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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rest — what's left
  3. club — for golf
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. squash — to crush
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rest — what's left
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rest — a break
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. club — a group

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