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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pit — a hole
  4. club — for dancing
  5. object — to protest
  6. spring — the season
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. drill — army training
  10. club — a group
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. track — a song
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fall — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. fall — to drop
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. object — a thing
  20. fall — to drop
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pit — in a race
  23. object — an aim
  24. drill — a practice

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