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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 120 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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. swing — to play on
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. fine — high quality
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bore — to drill
  8. fine — all right
  9. march — the month
  10. club — for dancing
  11. can — a tin
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. can — to be able to
  18. sharp — clever
  19. can — a tin
  20. bore — to tire
  21. march — the month
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. march — music

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