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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. ball — a dance
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. club — for dancing
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. club — a group
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. date — the fruit
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hand — help
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. stem — to come from
  19. hand — in cards
  20. club — for golf
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. ball — a great time

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