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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. club — a group
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mate — a partner
  6. swing — to play on
  7. capital — money
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bear — the animal
  10. swing — in golf
  11. mate — to breed
  12. race — a contest
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bear — the animal
  16. row — to paddle
  17. swing — music
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. club — for dancing
  22. race — humankind
  23. row — a line
  24. capital — a city

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