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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. kid — to tease
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for golf
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. pitch — completely
  12. capital — money
  13. bass — low music
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bass — the fish
  16. kid — child
  17. capital — a city
  18. cue — a hint
  19. club — for dancing
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. cue — for pool
  24. march — the month

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