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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. can — a tin
  4. club — a group
  5. bulb — for light
  6. shower — rain
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. can — a tin
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. shower — to wash
  12. can — to be able to
  13. spring — the season
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. spring — of water
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bulb — for light
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. spring — a coil
  23. date — the fruit
  24. club — for dancing

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