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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. club — for dancing
  4. drill — the tool
  5. race — humankind
  6. drill — army training
  7. wake — a trail
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bore — to tire
  10. deal — to handle
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. race — a contest
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bore — to drill
  19. dip — to sink
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. race — the arms race
  24. club — a group

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