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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. last — finally
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. last — to go on
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fine — high quality
  8. season — of the year
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. club — for dancing
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. season — in sport
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. last — final
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fine — all right
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. club — for golf

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