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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 124 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. season — in sport
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. scale — in music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. deal — to handle
  10. club — a group
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. club — for dancing
  13. pop — soda
  14. game — wild animals
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. season — of the year
  18. pop — music
  19. game — a match
  20. scale — size or range
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bore — to drill
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bore — to tire

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