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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. capital — money
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bore — to drill
  6. deal — to handle
  7. file — a tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. club — a group
  14. capital — a city
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bore — to tire
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. club — for dancing
  23. file — a document
  24. deal — a big deal

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