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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. club — a group
  7. cold — an illness
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. row — to paddle
  11. club — for dancing
  12. row — a line
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bound — certain
  16. pop — soda
  17. bound — tied together
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. pop — music
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bound — obliged

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