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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. file — a line of people
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chest — of your body
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. season — of the year
  10. chest — a box
  11. land — to come down
  12. track — a path
  13. club — for dancing
  14. file — a tool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. club — for golf
  20. squash — to crush
  21. file — a document
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. squash — the sport

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