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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — for dancing
  3. last — final
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. board — a committee
  6. key — the most important part
  7. last — finally
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. cold — an illness
  12. key — for a lock
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. board — to get on
  16. cold — not warm
  17. club — a group
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. key — in music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. last — to go on
  24. board — a flat piece

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