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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. club — for dancing
  3. present — a gift
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mug — a cup
  6. spring — the season
  7. mine — for digging
  8. spring — of water
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. spell — a short time
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mark — a trace
  13. track — a song
  14. spell — letters
  15. mug — to rob
  16. club — for golf
  17. spring — a coil
  18. track — a path
  19. club — a group
  20. mug — a face
  21. present — the time now
  22. spell — magic
  23. present — there
  24. mark — a grade

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