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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: rule · bay · hide · club · perch · current · cold · pop

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pop — to visit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. club — for golf
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cold — not warm
  7. current — of water
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. club — for dancing
  10. perch — the fish
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pop — music
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. current — happening now
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. current — electric
  21. pop — soda
  22. rule — government
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cold — an illness

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