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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: firm · wound · mug · perch · club · game · row · file

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. firm — decided
  6. file — a document
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mug — a face
  9. wound — an injury
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — steady
  12. perch — the fish
  13. club — a group
  14. mug — a cup
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. game — a match
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mug — to rob
  22. wound — an injury
  23. row — a line
  24. club — for golf

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