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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: club · toast · net · march · bore · bowl · jam · kid

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bore — to tire
  4. march — the month
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. club — for golf
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. club — a group
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. kid — to tease
  13. net — for catching
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bore — to drill
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. net — in sport
  18. march — the month
  19. toast — bread
  20. net — after costs
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. march — music
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. kid — child

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