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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 116 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. land — a country
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rock — music
  6. club — for golf
  7. march — the month
  8. club — a group
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bound — obliged
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. land — to come down
  14. march — the month
  15. bound — certain
  16. capital — a city
  17. last — final
  18. land — ground
  19. last — finally
  20. capital — money
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. march — music
  23. last — to go on
  24. nail — on a finger

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