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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. track — a song
  3. club — for dancing
  4. saw — the tool
  5. track — a path
  6. file — a line of people
  7. land — ground
  8. bound — tied together
  9. file — a tool
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. club — a group
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. file — a document
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. net — after costs
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. club — for golf
  21. land — a country
  22. track — to keep track
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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