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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mug — to rob
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. club — for golf
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. club — a group
  9. mine — for digging
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. present — a gift
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mug — a face
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. mug — a cup
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. present — the time now
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. present — there

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