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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fine — high quality
  4. plane — a tool
  5. capital — a city
  6. bat — the animal
  7. club — for golf
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — to tire
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. club — a group
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rule — government
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. capital — money
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rule — a law

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