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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. sharp — clever
  3. march — the month
  4. club — for golf
  5. shower — rain
  6. club — for dancing
  7. mug — to rob
  8. staff — a stick
  9. land — a country
  10. mug — a cup
  11. land — ground
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. club — a group
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. staff — employees
  18. land — to come down
  19. march — music
  20. shower — to wash
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mug — a face
  24. staff — employees

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