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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bound — tied together
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rash — a series
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fall — to drop
  10. net — after costs
  11. bound — certain
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bound — obliged
  14. net — in sport
  15. club — for golf
  16. fall — the season
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fork — in a road
  19. club — for dancing
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. net — for catching
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. safe — a strongbox

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