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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. net — after costs
  3. drill — army training
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. club — a group
  6. bark — to shout
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. suit — to fit
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bound — certain
  11. fine — all right
  12. net — for catching
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. suit — clothes
  18. net — in sport
  19. club — for dancing
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bound — obliged

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