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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. mine — for digging
  2. staff — employees
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bank — of a river
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. land — a country
  7. squash — to crush
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bank — for money
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bank — for money
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. staff — a stick
  16. land — ground
  17. club — a group
  18. land — to come down
  19. present — a gift
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. kick — in football
  22. staff — employees
  23. kick — a thrill
  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