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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. firm — decided
  3. club — for dancing
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. club — a group
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mine — for digging
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pop — soda
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. date — the fruit
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pop — music
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — steady
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rest — a break
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pop — to visit

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