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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. club — for dancing
  5. hand — help
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. cue — a signal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. scale — size or range
  11. toast — bread
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. scale — in music
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. foot — a measure
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. club — for golf
  21. saw — the tool
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. club — a group

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