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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wound — an injury
  3. root — the cause
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. club — a group
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. row — a line
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. root — of a plant
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bass — low music
  19. row — to paddle
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. lie — to recline
  22. club — for golf
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. root — of a word

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