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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. saw — the tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. cap — a lid
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. row — a line
  7. bat — the animal
  8. club — for dancing
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. staff — a stick
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. club — a group
  13. tube — a container
  14. row — to paddle
  15. staff — employees
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cap — of ice
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. saw — the tool
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bat — for baseball

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