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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 124 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. land — to come down
  3. bank — for money
  4. mine — for digging
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mug — to rob
  9. club — a group
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. clip — a video
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bank — for money
  18. land — a country
  19. mug — a face
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. land — ground
  24. bay — a horse colour

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