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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. last — final
  3. club — a group
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. tear — from crying
  6. club — for golf
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wake — a trail
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. last — finally
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. last — to go on
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rest — what's left
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rest — a break
  21. tear — to rip
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rest — what's left

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