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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. club — for golf
  3. bear — the animal
  4. can — a tin
  5. tube — the underground
  6. spell — letters
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chest — of your body
  13. club — for dancing
  14. game — a match
  15. tube — a container
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. chest — a box
  18. club — a group
  19. spell — a short time
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. spell — magic
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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