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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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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. game — wild animals
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. club — for golf
  9. rush — hurry
  10. prune — to trim
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. club — a group
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fork — in a road
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. prune — to trim
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. game — a kind of play

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