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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 120 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. chest — a box
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. chest — of your body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. land — a country
  7. chest — of your body
  8. club — for golf
  9. net — for catching
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. band — a music group
  12. net — after costs
  13. land — to come down
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. land — ground
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. club — a group
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bat — the animal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. net — in sport

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