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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. face — part of the head
  4. content — happy
  5. saw — the tool
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. land — ground
  10. face — to point toward
  11. land — to come down
  12. board — a committee
  13. content — the amount
  14. saw — the tool
  15. land — a country
  16. face — to confront
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. board — to get on
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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