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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. field — for sport
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mine — for digging
  10. capital — a city
  11. fall — the season
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. club — a group
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. field — farmland
  17. capital — money
  18. spell — magic
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. field — a subject
  22. stand — to bear
  23. spell — letters
  24. capital — a big letter

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