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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fall — the season
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. land — a country
  6. club — for dancing
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. craft — boats
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. club — a group
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. craft — a skill
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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