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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. spring — of water
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. club — for dancing
  5. rule — a law
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. spring — a coil
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. hand — in cards
  15. club — for golf
  16. hand — help
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. rule — government
  23. spell — magic
  24. spring — the season

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