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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. club — for golf
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. ball — a great time
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. land — ground
  7. staff — a stick
  8. content — the amount
  9. staff — employees
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. ball — a dance
  14. land — a country
  15. club — a group
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — bread
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. content — happy
  23. staff — employees
  24. toast — the most admired

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