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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. shower — rain
  3. face — to point toward
  4. capital — a city
  5. suit — clothes
  6. face — to confront
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. land — a country
  9. club — for dancing
  10. craft — a skill
  11. land — ground
  12. craft — boats
  13. club — a group
  14. face — part of the head
  15. capital — money
  16. suit — in cards
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. land — to come down
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. suit — to fit
  24. shower — to wash

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