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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. cap — a hat
  5. game — wild animals
  6. can — a tin
  7. cap — of ice
  8. can — a tin
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cap — a lid
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. game — a match
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. can — to be able to
  18. foot — a measure
  19. club — a group
  20. hand — help
  21. wake — a trail
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. hand — in cards

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