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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. band — a ring
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. net — for catching
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lie — to recline
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. club — for dancing
  15. band — a music group
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. club — for golf
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. chair — a leader

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