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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. drill — a practice
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bound — certain
  9. club — a group
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. bound — tied together
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. date — the fruit

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