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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.

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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: fall · club · tube · ball · ruler · mouse · foot · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. club — for golf
  5. tube — a container
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. ball — a great time
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. ball — a dance
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. foot — a measure
  21. tube — the underground
  22. swing — music
  23. club — a group
  24. swing — in 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