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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. club — a group
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. mark — a trace
  10. club — for golf
  11. mark — a grade
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. drill — army training
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. drill — the tool
  22. club — for dancing
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. prune — the fruit

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