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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. fine — high quality
  5. last — finally
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. last — to go on
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. drill — army training
  11. fine — all right
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bore — to tire
  14. last — final
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. pitch — a sports field

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