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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. mine — for digging
  2. march — music
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fine — all right
  9. march — the month
  10. club — a group
  11. march — the month
  12. club — for golf
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. row — to paddle
  18. club — for dancing
  19. rash — hasty
  20. row — a line
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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