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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. club — for golf
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pop — soda
  5. club — a group
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. chip — for betting
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. spell — magic
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pop — music
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. net — for catching
  17. spell — a short time
  18. chip — to eat
  19. spell — letters
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pop — to visit
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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