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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. capital — a city
  7. chip — to eat
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. club — for golf
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bear — the animal
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. shower — rain
  14. mate — a friend
  15. capital — money
  16. mate — to breed
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bear — the animal
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. chip — for betting
  24. shower — to wash

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