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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. pop — soda
  5. perch — the fish
  6. land — ground
  7. club — for dancing
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. saw — the tool
  11. land — to come down
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. land — a country
  14. capital — a city
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pop — music
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. capital — money
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pop — to visit
  21. kick — in football
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. leaves — lets stay

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