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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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. present — the time now
  2. club — for golf
  3. race — a contest
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. ball — a dance
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. capital — money
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. present — there
  14. club — a group
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. capital — a city
  17. present — a gift
  18. bark — to shout
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ball — a great time
  22. race — humankind
  23. date — the fruit
  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