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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. club — for golf
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. band — a ring
  6. pit — a hole
  7. club — a group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — the season
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. rule — a law
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. band — a music group
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rash — hasty
  18. spring — a coil
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. rash — a series
  22. rule — government
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. arm — part of the body

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