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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. club — for golf
  3. track — to keep track
  4. club — a group
  5. track — a song
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. track — a path
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. content — happy
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. mug — a cup
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. content — the amount
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mug — a face

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