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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. club — for golf
  8. object — a thing
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. row — a line
  11. object — to protest
  12. club — a group
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. object — an aim
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mate — a friend
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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