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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. club — for golf
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. fine — high quality
  5. craft — a skill
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. land — a country
  8. fine — all right
  9. land — ground
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bat — the animal
  12. club — for dancing
  13. land — to come down
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. club — a group
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mate — a friend
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. craft — boats
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bat — in an idiom

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