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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.

Words on the sheet
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: club · pit · game · wind · drill · wound · staff · pitcher

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for golf
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. staff — employees
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wind — moving air
  9. drill — army training
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. drill — a practice
  16. staff — employees
  17. game — a match
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. staff — a stick
  22. game — wild animals
  23. drill — the tool
  24. club — for dancing

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