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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. row — to paddle
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cell — in biology
  13. club — a group
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. row — a line
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. capital — a city
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. capital — money

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