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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stem — to come from
  3. club — for golf
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. capital — a city
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. capital — money
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — a law
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rule — government
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. club — for dancing
  23. saw — the tool
  24. racket — for tennis

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