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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. content — happy
  12. club — for golf
  13. bore — to drill
  14. fall — the season
  15. hand — help
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mate — to breed
  22. fall — to drop
  23. content — the amount
  24. stick — to attach or keep 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