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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. can — a tin
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. staff — employees
  6. club — for golf
  7. staff — employees
  8. drill — the tool
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. field — farmland
  13. drill — army training
  14. field — a subject
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mark — a trace
  19. tube — a container
  20. mark — a grade
  21. drill — a practice
  22. field — for sport
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. club — a group

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