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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. object — to protest
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. club — for golf
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. club — for dancing
  12. face — part of the head
  13. chip — to eat
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. chip — for betting
  18. club — a group
  19. drill — army training
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — to confront
  22. object — an aim
  23. drill — a practice
  24. object — a thing

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