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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bat — the animal
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — decided
  7. club — a group
  8. cap — a lid
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rule — a law
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rule — government
  14. club — for dancing
  15. field — farmland
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. firm — steady
  20. field — a subject
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. field — for sport

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