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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: mouse · game · club · hand · wake · mark · bore · date

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bore — to drill
  5. club — a group
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mark — a trace
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. game — wild animals
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wake — a trail
  18. game — a match
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mouse — the animal

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