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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fine — all right
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mine — for digging
  7. perch — the fish
  8. fine — high quality
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. squash — to crush
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. club — for dancing
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. club — a group

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