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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. club — for golf
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. mug — to rob
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. club — for dancing
  15. pound — a weight
  16. file — a line of people
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. club — a group
  22. row — a line
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. row — a quarrel

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