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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: racket · club · chair · bowl · march · bat

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. club — for golf
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bat — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. club — for dancing
  10. march — the month
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. club — a group
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. racket — for tennis

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