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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 124 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mug — to rob
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. club — a group
  8. mug — a face
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. spring — of water
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mug — a cup
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. land — a country
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — for golf
  21. land — ground
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spring — the season
  24. bay — a horse colour

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