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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. club — a group
  3. present — a gift
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bound — obliged
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bound — certain
  9. present — there
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. wound — an injury
  14. land — ground
  15. wound — an injury
  16. club — for golf
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. land — a country
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. game — a match
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. present — the time now
  24. game — wild animals

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