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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. can — to be able to
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. club — for dancing
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. suit — to fit
  8. pit — in a race
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. suit — clothes
  13. can — a tin
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. can — a tin
  20. suit — in cards
  21. chest — a box
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. club — a group

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