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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bound — tied together
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bound — certain
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bound — obliged
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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