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

Word bank: club · file · snap · chair · bulb · squash · saw · bat

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. file — a tool
  4. chair — a leader
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. file — a document
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bat — the animal
  10. club — for golf
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. snap — to click
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bulb — for light
  21. squash — the sport
  22. club — for dancing
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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