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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mine — for digging
  4. club — a group
  5. march — music
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bat — the animal
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. club — for dancing
  11. march — the month
  12. ground — crushed
  13. club — for golf
  14. ground — the earth
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. ground — a position
  21. cue — a signal
  22. mug — a cup
  23. content — happy
  24. bat — for 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