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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 120 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. branch — a division
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bore — to drill
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. club — a group
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. content — the amount
  12. bore — to tire
  13. dip — to sink
  14. content — happy
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. capital — a city
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bat — the animal
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. capital — money
  22. fork — in a road
  23. club — for dancing
  24. branch — of a tree

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