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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: chip · club · bay · date · bat · board · march · pop

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pop — to visit
  6. club — for golf
  7. board — to get on
  8. march — the month
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. march — music
  16. board — a committee
  17. chip — for betting
  18. club — a group
  19. pop — soda
  20. date — the fruit
  21. pop — music
  22. chip — to eat
  23. march — the month
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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