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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 116 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. club — for dancing
  5. land — to come down
  6. scale — size or range
  7. cap — a lid
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wound — an injury
  12. land — a country
  13. scale — in music
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. land — ground
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. cap — a hat
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — to bear
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. club — for golf

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