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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mug — a cup
  4. rash — a series
  5. clip — for paper
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mug — to rob
  8. club — a group
  9. shower — to wash
  10. squash — the sport
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. shower — rain
  14. kid — child
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. club — for dancing
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rash — hasty
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. mate — a friend
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mug — a face

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