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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. ground — the earth
  3. club — for golf
  4. track — a song
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bat — the animal
  8. firm — a company
  9. bound — obliged
  10. last — final
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. root — of a word
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. ground — a position
  18. firm — steady
  19. track — to keep track
  20. firm — decided
  21. ground — crushed
  22. root — the cause
  23. track — a path
  24. club — for dancing

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