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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mate — a friend
  3. club — for dancing
  4. land — ground
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. last — finally
  7. rock — music
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mate — to breed
  10. land — to come down
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mate — a partner
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. last — to go on
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. club — for golf
  18. rock — a stone
  19. last — final
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. club — a group
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. land — a country

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