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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. fine — a penalty
  2. saw — the tool
  3. club — for dancing
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. club — for golf
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. spring — the season
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. fine — high quality
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. club — a group
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fine — all right
  19. saw — the tool
  20. spring — a coil
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. spring — of water
  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