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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 116 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. club — a group
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cold — not warm
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. club — for dancing
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. cold — an illness
  11. key — for a lock
  12. club — for golf
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. key — the most important part
  20. shower — to wash
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bear — the animal

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