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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. club — a group
  4. land — to come down
  5. row — a line
  6. club — for dancing
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. row — to paddle
  9. firm — decided
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. club — for golf
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. land — ground
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wind — moving air
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — a company
  23. land — a country
  24. rest — a break

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