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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rule — a law
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. present — a gift
  5. spring — a coil
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. spring — the season
  11. present — the time now
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rule — government
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fork — in a road
  18. saw — the tool
  19. present — there
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. spring — of water
  22. club — for golf
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. club — a group

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