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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. club — a group
  3. cap — of ice
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mark — a grade
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. ground — crushed
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. row — a line
  13. spring — the season
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ground — a position
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mark — a trace
  20. spring — a coil
  21. ground — the earth
  22. row — to paddle
  23. spring — of water
  24. club — for golf

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