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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. club — a group
  4. bound — obliged
  5. object — a thing
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. net — in sport
  8. bound — certain
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. net — after costs
  12. club — for dancing
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. object — to protest
  16. file — a document
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bound — tied together
  20. hand — help
  21. net — for catching
  22. file — a tool
  23. object — an aim
  24. file — a line of people

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