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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 116 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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. track — a path
  3. track — a song
  4. drill — army training
  5. club — for golf
  6. deal — to handle
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. drill — a practice
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mate — to breed
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mate — a partner
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. drill — the tool
  19. club — a group
  20. mate — a friend
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chair — a professorship

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