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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 120 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: file · land · mouse · can · club · cue · mine · season

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. file — a tool
  4. land — ground
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. can — a tin
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cue — a signal
  10. season — of the year
  11. club — for dancing
  12. cue — for pool
  13. land — to come down
  14. cue — a hint
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. can — a tin
  18. club — a group
  19. file — a document
  20. season — in sport
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. club — for golf
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mine — belonging to me

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