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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. club — for golf
  3. bore — to tire
  4. club — a group
  5. board — a committee
  6. net — after costs
  7. club — for dancing
  8. last — to go on
  9. wake — a trail
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. file — a tool
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. file — a document
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. net — for catching
  17. board — to get on
  18. content — the amount
  19. file — a line of people
  20. content — happy
  21. last — finally
  22. last — final
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bore — to drill

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