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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bank — for money
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bound — certain
  7. mate — to breed
  8. board — to get on
  9. bank — for money
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. cell — a phone
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. club — a group
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. club — for dancing
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bound — obliged
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mate — a partner
  23. degree — from a university
  24. board — a committee

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