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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. chip — to eat
  3. club — for golf
  4. mug — a cup
  5. club — a group
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mug — to rob
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mug — a face
  12. file — a document
  13. club — for dancing
  14. ball — a dance
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. file — a tool
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cold — not warm

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