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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. club — for golf
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. staff — employees
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. march — music
  22. staff — a stick
  23. club — a group
  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