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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cold — an illness
  3. club — for dancing
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. season — of the year
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. club — a group
  13. bound — obliged
  14. season — in sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cold — not warm
  21. dip — to sink
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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