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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. club — for golf
  5. last — final
  6. swing — to play on
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. bank — for money
  11. club — for dancing
  12. last — to go on
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bank — of a river
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. staff — employees
  18. date — the fruit
  19. race — a contest
  20. staff — employees
  21. last — finally
  22. bank — for money
  23. club — a group
  24. pitcher — a jug

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