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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bore — to drill
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bore — to tire
  13. kick — in football
  14. scale — size or range
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wax — to grow
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mark — a grade
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. ball — a great time
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. scale — in music
  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