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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. present — the time now
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. squash — the sport
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bound — obliged
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pitch — completely
  9. club — a group
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. present — a gift
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. club — for golf
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. present — there
  24. squash — to crush

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