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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making 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. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bore — to drill
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bore — to tire
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bound — certain
  12. march — the month
  13. game — a match
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bound — tied together
  18. club — for golf
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. club — a group
  21. game — wild animals
  22. march — music
  23. fork — in a road
  24. racket — a loud noise

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