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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bore — to tire
  4. key — for a lock
  5. club — for golf
  6. key — in music
  7. club — a group
  8. key — the most important part
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. last — finally
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. season — of the year
  16. race — humankind
  17. club — for dancing
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cue — a hint
  24. racket — for tennis

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