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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. club — for golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. ball — a great time
  5. land — a country
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. club — a group
  9. swing — music
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. swing — in golf
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rash — a series
  14. ball — a dance
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rash — hasty
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. fine — all right
  20. land — to come down
  21. fine — high quality
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. land — ground
  24. club — for dancing

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