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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. club — a group
  6. band — a ring
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. chair — a leader
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pop — soda
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bore — to tire
  15. band — a music group
  16. bore — to drill
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. club — for golf
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. squash — the sport
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bore — gave birth

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