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

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. prune — to trim
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. bore — to drill
  8. row — to paddle
  9. club — for dancing
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bass — the fish
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. row — a line
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. bass — low music
  22. bore — to tire
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. prune — to trim

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