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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · fine · mine · club · bat · wave · chair · saw

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. chair — a leader
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. club — for dancing
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bat — the animal
  19. club — a group
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. fine — high quality
  24. bear — to put up with

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