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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. net — in sport
  7. plane — a tool
  8. game — wild animals
  9. dip — to sink
  10. club — a group
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. net — for catching
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. club — for dancing
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mine — for digging
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. net — after costs
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. drill — army training
  24. game — a match

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