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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. club — for dancing
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bore — to drill
  5. club — for golf
  6. last — finally
  7. land — ground
  8. last — final
  9. swing — music
  10. cell — in biology
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stand — to bear
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. land — to come down
  18. bore — to tire
  19. land — a country
  20. cell — a phone
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. last — to go on
  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