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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. drill — army training
  3. land — a country
  4. club — for golf
  5. rock — music
  6. club — a group
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. land — to come down
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rock — a stone
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. band — a music group
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. drill — the tool
  20. band — a ring
  21. club — for dancing
  22. drill — a practice
  23. land — ground
  24. band — a rubber band

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