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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. club — for golf
  3. game — a match
  4. staff — employees
  5. game — wild animals
  6. club — a group
  7. drill — a practice
  8. ground — the earth
  9. staff — employees
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ground — crushed
  12. drill — the tool
  13. net — after costs
  14. club — for dancing
  15. lean — to bend
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. drill — army training
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. ground — a position
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lean — thin
  22. net — in sport
  23. staff — a stick
  24. patient — a sick person

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