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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 116 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — a group
  3. last — finally
  4. rule — a law
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ground — the earth
  9. spring — of water
  10. ball — a dance
  11. last — final
  12. bore — to drill
  13. spring — the season
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. club — for golf
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rule — government
  20. spring — a coil
  21. last — to go on
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. ground — a position
  24. bore — to tire

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