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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. club — for golf
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. club — a group
  13. bound — certain
  14. cold — not warm
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. cold — an illness
  24. club — for dancing

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