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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 124 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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pop — soda
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pop — music
  8. club — for golf
  9. pop — to visit
  10. club — a group
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rush — hurry
  19. roll — a list
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. deal — a big deal

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