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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pit — a hole
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. club — for golf
  10. present — there
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. face — to confront
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. hand — in cards
  16. scale — in music
  17. hand — help
  18. club — for dancing
  19. present — the time now
  20. rest — what's left
  21. present — a gift
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — part of the head
  24. club — a group

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