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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 116 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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. capital — money
  5. staff — employees
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. club — for dancing
  8. chip — to eat
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. capital — a city
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wound — an injury
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chip — for betting
  23. club — for golf
  24. racket — a loud noise

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