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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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 — a group
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bound — certain
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bass — low music
  21. cold — not warm
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bass — the fish
  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