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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. snap — to click
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. craft — boats
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. land — to come down
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mate — a friend
  18. tear — from crying
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mate — to breed
  21. craft — a skill
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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