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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. game — a match
  3. bound — obliged
  4. march — the month
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. club — for golf
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bat — the animal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bound — certain
  17. club — a group
  18. bound — tied together
  19. march — music
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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