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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. face — part of the head
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. lean — to bend
  5. drill — a practice
  6. shower — rain
  7. club — for dancing
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. drill — the tool
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. drill — army training
  12. mine — for digging
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. face — to point toward
  15. dip — to sink
  16. face — to confront
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. club — a group
  22. lean — thin
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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