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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. club — for golf
  16. chest — of your body
  17. board — a committee
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pitch — completely
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bound — certain
  22. board — to get on
  23. bound — obliged
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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