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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. land — ground
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. row — a line
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. club — a group
  7. land — to come down
  8. file — a document
  9. mug — a cup
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. land — a country
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. mug — to rob
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. file — a line of people
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. file — a tool
  19. mug — a face
  20. row — to paddle
  21. wound — an injury
  22. club — for golf
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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