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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. drill — army training
  9. key — the most important part
  10. club — a group
  11. drill — a practice
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. key — for a lock
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. squash — to crush
  17. band — a ring
  18. row — a line
  19. key — in music
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. drill — the tool
  22. cell — in biology
  23. club — for dancing
  24. squash — the sport

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