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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. stem — to come from
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. season — of the year
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. object — an aim
  11. wound — an injury
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — a thing
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. club — for golf
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. club — for dancing
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. season — in sport
  20. ball — a dance
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wound — an injury

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