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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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468
Word bank
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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 · pop · club · march · row · fall · fine · mine

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fall — the season
  4. club — a group
  5. pop — soda
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. fall — to drop
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — for golf
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. fine — all right
  16. pop — music
  17. mine — for digging
  18. row — a line
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mine — belonging to me

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