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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mug — a face
  4. spell — letters
  5. club — a group
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. march — music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spell — magic
  10. mug — a cup
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. sharp — clever
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. march — the month
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rest — a break
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. march — the month
  24. mug — to rob

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