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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rush — hurry
  3. game — a match
  4. club — for golf
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mug — to rob
  10. object — to protest
  11. mug — a cup
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mug — a face
  15. march — the month
  16. tear — to rip
  17. march — music
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — a thing
  20. tear — from crying
  21. club — for dancing
  22. march — the month
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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