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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. file — a tool
  3. content — happy
  4. club — for golf
  5. current — of water
  6. spell — a short time
  7. current — electric
  8. spell — magic
  9. club — a group
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mug — a face
  13. content — the amount
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bank — of a river
  16. file — a document
  17. current — happening now
  18. spell — letters
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. mug — a cup
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. file — a line of people

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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