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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. spell — a short time
  2. land — a country
  3. rock — a stone
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cell — a phone
  7. present — the time now
  8. spell — letters
  9. land — ground
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. spell — magic
  13. present — a gift
  14. club — a group
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. present — there
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cell — in biology
  20. land — to come down
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rock — music
  23. hand — help
  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