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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. net — for catching
  3. bore — to drill
  4. club — a group
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. march — the month
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. march — the month
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. club — for golf
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bore — to tire
  17. fine — all right
  18. wind — moving air
  19. net — in sport
  20. march — music
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. net — after costs
  23. fine — high quality
  24. vault — a safe

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