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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mine — for digging
  4. ground — a position
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cue — a signal
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. swing — music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cue — for pool
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cue — a hint
  24. game — a match

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