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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spring — a coil
  3. club — for golf
  4. spring — of water
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. club — a group
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wound — an injury
  13. present — a gift
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spring — the season
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. present — there
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. present — the time now

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