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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · land · mug · squash · club · file · ball · rash

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. club — for golf
  3. ball — a dance
  4. squash — the sport
  5. land — a country
  6. rash — a series
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mug — a face
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. file — a document
  17. rash — hasty
  18. club — a group
  19. land — ground
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mug — a cup
  23. ball — a great time
  24. land — to come down

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