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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. club — a group
  3. cue — a hint
  4. track — a song
  5. club — for golf
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cue — a signal
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. branch — a division
  10. cell — a phone
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. club — for dancing
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. track — to keep track
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. track — a path
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cue — for pool
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cabinet — ministers

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