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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. club — for golf
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. chest — of your body
  11. craft — boats
  12. chest — of your body
  13. club — a group
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. foot — a measure
  17. dip — to sink
  18. craft — a skill
  19. cue — a hint
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. fork — in a road
  24. chest — a box

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