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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: bear · kick · pit · club · bank · march

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. club — for golf
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. kick — in football
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bank — for money
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bear — the animal
  11. march — music
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. march — the month
  16. pit — in a race
  17. club — a group
  18. march — the month

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