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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. club — for golf
  4. pop — soda
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pop — music
  8. rock — music
  9. club — a group
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. march — the month
  12. fork — in a road
  13. march — the month
  14. pop — to visit
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rock — a stone
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. toast — bread
  23. march — music
  24. club — for dancing

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