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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. club — a group
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. spring — a coil
  7. club — for dancing
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spring — the season
  11. rule — a law
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. row — to paddle
  16. march — music
  17. spring — of water
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rule — government
  22. row — a line
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. perch — for a bird

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