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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. row — a line
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cold — an illness
  9. fine — all right
  10. mate — a partner
  11. track — a song
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. cold — not warm
  17. row — to paddle
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mate — to breed
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. track — a path
  23. club — for golf
  24. nail — on a finger

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