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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: firm · mate · bay · perch · club · snap · drill · wound

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wound — an injury
  3. perch — the fish
  4. snap — to click
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wound — an injury
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — a company
  11. club — for golf
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. drill — army training
  18. mate — a friend
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mate — a partner

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