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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  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. plane — a tool
  2. club — a group
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. key — the most important part
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. chest — of your body
  7. key — for a lock
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. club — for golf
  10. mine — for digging
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. land — to come down
  13. scale — in music
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. chest — a box
  16. land — a country
  17. chest — of your body
  18. scale — size or range
  19. land — ground
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. key — in music
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. plane — in geometry
  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