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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mine — for digging
  4. saw — the tool
  5. shower — rain
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. drill — army training
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. club — for dancing
  11. court — for sport
  12. rash — hasty
  13. club — for golf
  14. shower — to wash
  15. court — of law
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. court — of a king
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. drill — a practice
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. club — a group
  23. rash — a series
  24. saw — the tool

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