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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. squash — the sport
  3. club — a group
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. net — for catching
  6. squash — to crush
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. pound — a weight
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. net — in sport
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. game — a match
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. last — to go on
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. club — for golf
  23. game — wild animals
  24. net — after costs

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