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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  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. club — for dancing
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rock — music
  7. bank — of a river
  8. march — music
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. cap — of ice
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spring — a coil
  14. march — the month
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rock — a stone
  22. march — the month
  23. rock — to move gently
  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