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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. land — a country
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. land — to come down
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. spring — a coil
  12. club — for golf
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. land — ground
  15. snap — to click
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. club — a group
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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