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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 120 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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. club — a group
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. face — to confront
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. face — to point toward
  17. game — a match
  18. mine — for digging
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — for dancing
  21. drill — army training
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. face — part of the head

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