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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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. club — for dancing
  6. degree — from a university
  7. hand — help
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. mug — a cup
  13. degree — an amount
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mug — a face
  19. club — a group
  20. ball — a great time
  21. mug — to rob
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bowl — a dish

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