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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 124 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. ground — a position
  3. game — a match
  4. club — for golf
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. ground — the earth
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. chair — a leader
  14. ground — crushed
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pass — a permit
  18. club — a group
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. band — a music group
  21. game — wild animals
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. band — a ring

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