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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — for dancing
  3. race — the arms race
  4. club — a group
  5. net — after costs
  6. rock — a stone
  7. net — for catching
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. drill — the tool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fork — in a road
  15. net — in sport
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rock — music
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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