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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fine — high quality
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pitch — completely
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. tube — the underground
  12. club — for golf
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. club — a group
  17. bound — tied together
  18. tube — a container
  19. fine — all right
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fine — a penalty

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