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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. track — to keep track
  5. lean — to bend
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wake — a trail
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. club — for dancing
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rash — a series
  16. track — a song
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bound — tied together
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. track — a path
  23. club — for golf
  24. lean — thin

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