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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — a group
  7. vault — a safe
  8. board — to get on
  9. march — the month
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bat — the animal
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. board — a committee
  19. march — the month
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. march — music
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pitcher — a jug

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