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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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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: bay · rash · degree · mouse · club · hand · row · fall

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. fall — to drop
  3. degree — from a university
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. degree — temperature
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. rash — a series
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. fall — the season
  14. club — for dancing
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. degree — an amount
  18. hand — help
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. club — for golf
  22. rash — hasty
  23. row — a line
  24. hand — part of the body

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