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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. club — for golf
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rock — music
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. club — for dancing
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. land — to come down
  11. date — the fruit
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. club — a group
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. saw — the tool
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bat — the animal
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. land — a country
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pass — a permit
  24. lie — to recline

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