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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pit — in a race
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. march — the month
  5. club — for dancing
  6. kid — child
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pit — a hole
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. march — music
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mate — a partner
  17. march — the month
  18. club — for golf
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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