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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. staff — employees
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. club — a group
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. club — for dancing
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. scale — size or range
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. scale — in music
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. lie — to recline
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bat — the animal
  24. staff — employees

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