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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. club — a group
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bulb — for light
  6. club — for golf
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. land — a country
  9. bulb — for light
  10. track — a song
  11. fork — in a road
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. land — ground
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. club — for dancing
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. track — a path
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bulb — of a plant

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