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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: club · mine · fine · net · march · bore · fall · key

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. march — music
  3. net — after costs
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bore — to drill
  6. club — a group
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fall — the season
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. fall — to drop
  13. club — for golf
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bore — to tire
  16. key — in music
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. net — for catching
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. fine — all right
  23. key — the most important part
  24. net — in sport

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