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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: bulb · key · pound · date · chair · hide · club · object

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. club — for golf
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. club — a group
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. key — for a lock
  14. club — for dancing
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — an aim
  17. pound — a weight
  18. object — a thing
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bulb — for light
  22. key — the most important part
  23. date — the fruit
  24. chair — a leader

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