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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bore — to drill
  4. object — a thing
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. object — an aim
  8. scale — size or range
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. court — of a king
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. court — of law
  20. bore — to tire
  21. deal — to handle
  22. court — for sport
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for golf

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