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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. mine — for digging
  2. squash — to crush
  3. club — for golf
  4. season — of the year
  5. swing — in golf
  6. rule — a law
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. scale — in music
  9. club — a group
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. squash — the sport
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. swing — to play on
  19. season — in sport
  20. swing — music
  21. rule — government
  22. bore — to tire
  23. scale — size or range
  24. club — for dancing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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