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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. march — the month
  3. club — for golf
  4. pit — in a race
  5. last — final
  6. mate — a friend
  7. court — for sport
  8. march — music
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mate — to breed
  11. court — of a king
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. last — to go on
  17. club — a group
  18. court — of law
  19. pit — a hole
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. march — the month
  22. last — finally
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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