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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. spell — a short time
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chip — to eat
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. bass — low music
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chip — for betting
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. march — music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. march — the month
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bass — the fish
  23. march — the month
  24. trunk — of a car

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