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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. craft — boats
  3. march — the month
  4. staff — employees
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. club — for dancing
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. dip — to sink
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. pit — a hole
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. chair — a leader
  19. craft — a skill
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. land — ground
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. club — a group
  24. pit — in a race

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