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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. saw — the tool
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. club — for dancing
  9. branch — a division
  10. shower — rain
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. swing — music
  15. rush — hurry
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bass — low music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. club — a group
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bass — the fish

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