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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. club — for dancing
  5. hand — in cards
  6. club — for golf
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. track — a path
  11. spell — letters
  12. hand — help
  13. face — part of the head
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. press — a publisher
  17. track — a song
  18. press — newspapers
  19. face — to confront
  20. rest — what's left
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rest — a break
  23. press — to push
  24. bark — to shout

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