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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 · pitcher · land · game · bulb · bound · row · safe

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bulb — for light
  3. club — for dancing
  4. game — wild animals
  5. club — a group
  6. land — a country
  7. club — for golf
  8. game — a match
  9. bound — obliged
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. land — to come down
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bulb — for light
  15. row — to paddle
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bound — certain
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. row — a line
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. land — ground
  24. pitcher — a jug

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