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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bank — of a river
  4. club — a group
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. season — of the year
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. key — in music
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bank — for money
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. key — the most important part
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. season — in sport
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bank — for money
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wind — moving air
  24. club — for dancing

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