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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: bore · march · net · chest · club · mark · fine · rash

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. fine — all right
  3. march — music
  4. club — a group
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. net — in sport
  9. rash — hasty
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bore — to drill
  12. club — for dancing
  13. net — after costs
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mark — a grade
  16. rash — a series
  17. net — for catching
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. march — the month
  22. bore — to tire
  23. march — the month
  24. mark — a trace

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