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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · bank · pit · present · racket · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pit — a hole
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bank — for money
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. club — a group
  8. bank — for money
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. present — there
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bank — of a river
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War

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