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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. club — for golf
  3. mine — for digging
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. club — a group
  11. charge — electricity
  12. spell — letters
  13. march — music
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. charge — a price
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. charge — in control
  21. ball — a great time
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. spell — magic

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