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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. club — for golf
  4. cap — a lid
  5. row — a line
  6. shower — to wash
  7. drill — the tool
  8. fine — high quality
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. club — for dancing
  12. swing — in golf
  13. drill — a practice
  14. club — a group
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cap — a hat
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. shower — rain
  19. cap — of ice
  20. drill — army training
  21. swing — music
  22. fine — all right
  23. row — to paddle
  24. swing — to play on

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