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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. land — a country
  6. cell — a phone
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. toast — bread
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. land — to come down
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. shower — rain
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rock — music
  20. shower — to wash
  21. land — ground
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. chair — to sit on

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