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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fall — to drop
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mug — a cup
  6. present — the time now
  7. race — the arms race
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fall — the season
  10. mug — a face
  11. drill — the tool
  12. club — a group
  13. row — to paddle
  14. saw — the tool
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. present — a gift
  18. drill — army training
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fall — to drop
  22. row — a line
  23. mug — to rob
  24. present — there

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