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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. last — to go on
  5. hand — help
  6. season — of the year
  7. snap — to click
  8. hand — in cards
  9. season — in sport
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. perch — the fish
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. last — finally
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. club — for dancing
  22. last — final
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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