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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. scale — in music
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. shower — to wash
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bulb — for light
  10. club — a group
  11. can — a tin
  12. lie — to recline
  13. key — the most important part
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. can — a tin
  17. key — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. club — for dancing
  21. can — to be able to
  22. shower — rain
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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