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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mine — for digging
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. land — ground
  14. can — a tin
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. club — a group
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bat — the animal
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. club — for dancing

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