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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. court — of a king
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bound — obliged
  7. saw — the tool
  8. club — a group
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. club — for golf
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cold — an illness
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mine — for digging
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. court — for sport
  20. bound — certain
  21. cold — not warm
  22. court — of law
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mine — an explosive

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