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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. season — in sport
  6. bass — low music
  7. rest — a break
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. game — a match
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. board — to get on
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. club — for dancing
  15. season — of the year
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. game — wild animals
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. club — for golf
  23. bark — to shout
  24. game — a kind of play

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