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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. saw — the tool
  3. last — final
  4. club — a group
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. land — to come down
  8. club — for dancing
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. land — ground
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bound — obliged
  18. land — a country
  19. bound — certain
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. last — to go on
  23. bound — tied together
  24. last — finally

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