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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. staff — employees
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. lean — thin
  5. staff — employees
  6. net — in sport
  7. track — a song
  8. mine — for digging
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fall — to drop
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. hand — in cards
  14. lean — to bend
  15. hand — help
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. fall — the season
  19. staff — a stick
  20. net — after costs
  21. club — a group
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. club — for golf
  24. net — for catching

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