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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. race — the arms race
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. bass — the fish
  8. kid — child
  9. club — for dancing
  10. capital — a city
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bass — low music
  18. fork — in a road
  19. capital — money
  20. bore — to drill
  21. club — for golf
  22. bore — to tire
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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