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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. firm — steady
  5. land — a country
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. firm — a company
  13. club — a group
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. tube — a container
  16. capital — money
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. capital — a city
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. tube — the underground
  23. firm — decided
  24. pass — a permit

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