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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cell — a phone
  3. club — a group
  4. mark — a trace
  5. shower — rain
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. club — for golf
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. spring — of water
  21. bass — low music
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. shower — to wash

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