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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cell — in biology
  5. net — for catching
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. cell — a phone
  9. hand — in cards
  10. club — for golf
  11. tube — the underground
  12. row — a line
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. key — the most important part
  15. club — a group
  16. net — in sport
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. tube — a container
  20. key — in music
  21. row — to paddle
  22. hand — help
  23. key — for a lock
  24. net — after costs

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