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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. 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. hand — in cards
  2. file — a line of people
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. file — a tool
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. file — a document
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bass — low music
  14. hand — help
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. club — for golf
  18. band — a ring
  19. bass — the fish
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. band — a music group
  22. game — a match
  23. club — a group
  24. 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