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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wound — an injury
  3. roll — a list
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. club — for golf
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. club — a group
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. saw — the tool
  13. key — the most important part
  14. roll — a cake
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bore — to drill
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bore — to tire
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. key — in music
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. key — for a lock
  24. mine — for digging

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