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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. staff — employees
  2. swing — music
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. board — a committee
  6. bound — certain
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — to play on
  10. club — for dancing
  11. shower — rain
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. land — to come down
  14. club — a group
  15. land — ground
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. club — for golf
  18. shower — to wash
  19. board — to get on
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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