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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. key — in music
  7. deal — to handle
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. land — to come down
  10. club — for golf
  11. kick — in football
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. land — a country
  15. clip — for paper
  16. land — ground
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. club — for dancing
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. key — the most important part
  24. temple — a place of worship

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