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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. club — for golf
  4. season — in sport
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. club — a group
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fine — high quality
  17. season — of the year
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fine — all right
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. dip — to sink
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. branch — a division

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