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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — in cards
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. hand — help
  8. fork — in a road
  9. club — a group
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. field — for sport
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — a subject
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. club — for dancing
  21. field — farmland
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. chair — a leader

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