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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fine — all right
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. chair — a leader
  9. last — finally
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. club — for dancing
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bound — tied together
  16. club — for golf
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. last — final
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. fine — high quality
  21. last — to go on
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fine — a penalty

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