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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. land — ground
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. sharp — clever
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. land — to come down
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. squash — to crush
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — for dancing
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cell — in biology
  22. squash — the sport
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. land — a country

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