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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bat — the animal
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. staff — employees
  7. last — finally
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bound — certain
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. rash — hasty
  13. club — for dancing
  14. staff — a stick
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. club — a group
  21. scale — in music
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — final
  24. staff — employees

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