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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rest — a break
  3. pop — music
  4. snap — to click
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pop — to visit
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rest — what's left
  10. club — for golf
  11. hand — help
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. club — a group
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. content — happy
  17. pop — soda
  18. ground — a position
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. ground — crushed
  22. content — the amount
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. ground — the earth

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