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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. swing — music
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pass — a permit
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. shower — to wash
  9. race — humankind
  10. swing — in golf
  11. race — the arms race
  12. club — for dancing
  13. land — a country
  14. race — a contest
  15. club — a group
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. land — to come down
  19. club — for golf
  20. shower — rain
  21. saw — the tool
  22. swing — to play on
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. saw — the tool

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