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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. firm — a company
  3. can — to be able to
  4. land — ground
  5. club — for golf
  6. mate — a partner
  7. band — a ring
  8. firm — steady
  9. mate — to breed
  10. club — a group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. last — finally
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. can — a tin
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. last — final
  17. club — for dancing
  18. band — a music group
  19. mate — a friend
  20. land — a country
  21. last — to go on
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. can — a tin
  24. firm — decided

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