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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. club — a group
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fine — high quality
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. club — for dancing
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. game — wild animals
  11. march — the month
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. march — the month
  17. game — a match
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. march — music
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fine — all right
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. hide — animal skin

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