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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. spell — letters
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. spell — a short time
  6. shower — to wash
  7. club — for golf
  8. spell — magic
  9. bore — to tire
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. track — a song
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bore — to drill

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