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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 116 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. capital — a city
  3. kick — in football
  4. capital — money
  5. tube — the underground
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. club — for golf
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mine — for digging
  12. file — a document
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mug — a cup
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mug — to rob
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. file — a tool
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. mug — a face

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