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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. last — final
  3. wake — a trail
  4. track — to keep track
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. land — a country
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cell — a phone
  14. track — a song
  15. land — to come down
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. track — a path
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. land — ground

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