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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. march — the month
  5. present — the time now
  6. ground — the earth
  7. march — music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pass — a permit
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. club — a group
  20. ground — a position
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. march — the month
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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