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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. band — a music group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. current — of water
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bound — certain
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. band — a ring
  13. club — a group
  14. current — happening now
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bound — tied together
  17. object — to protest
  18. current — electric
  19. wake — a trail
  20. object — an aim
  21. press — to push
  22. object — a thing
  23. bound — obliged
  24. game — a match

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