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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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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: march · mug · game · jam · club · date · craft · bear

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. craft — a skill
  3. mug — a cup
  4. march — music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. club — for dancing
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mug — a face
  9. march — the month
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. club — a group
  13. game — a match
  14. craft — boats
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. march — the month
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. club — for golf
  20. bear — the animal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bear — the animal
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — a tight spot

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