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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. row — to paddle
  4. snap — to click
  5. club — a group
  6. can — a tin
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. club — for golf
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. can — a tin
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. row — a line
  20. club — for dancing
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. can — to be able to

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