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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 116 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. file — a line of people
  3. content — the amount
  4. club — a group
  5. content — happy
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. snap — to click
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — a hat
  12. file — a tool
  13. lean — thin
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. file — a document
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. club — for dancing
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cap — of ice
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. lean — to bend

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