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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 116 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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. capital — a city
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mine — for digging
  17. capital — money
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. deal — to handle

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