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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. shower — to wash
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. capital — money
  6. club — a group
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. shower — rain
  13. club — for golf
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fine — all right
  20. bear — the animal
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. capital — a city
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fine — high quality

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