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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pit — in a race
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. club — a group
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pit — a hole
  11. rock — a stone
  12. cap — a hat
  13. chest — a box
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. cap — a lid
  18. club — for dancing

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