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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. present — the time now
  3. capital — money
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. net — after costs
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. net — in sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. capital — a city
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pop — music
  15. present — a gift
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. rest — a break
  18. pop — soda
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wound — an injury
  22. present — there
  23. net — for catching
  24. rest — what's left

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