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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. ground — a position
  4. fine — all right
  5. club — for dancing
  6. land — a country
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. ground — the earth
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. land — ground
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. can — a tin
  16. land — to come down
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. fine — high quality
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. snap — to click
  22. ground — crushed
  23. dip — to sink
  24. club — a group

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