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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. last — to go on
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bulb — for light
  5. club — for dancing
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bulb — for light
  8. club — for golf
  9. field — farmland
  10. land — a country
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rash — a series
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. club — a group
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fine — all right
  21. drill — army training
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. land — to come down
  24. drill — the tool

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