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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. club — for golf
  4. root — the cause
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. net — in sport
  8. land — a country
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bat — the animal
  11. root — of a word
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. land — to come down
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. root — of a plant
  17. net — for catching
  18. bound — certain
  19. club — for dancing
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pit — in a race
  23. land — ground
  24. net — after costs

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