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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. club — for dancing
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. current — of water
  7. fine — all right
  8. squash — to crush
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. mine — for digging
  11. game — a match
  12. fine — high quality
  13. row — a line
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. game — wild animals
  16. squash — the sport
  17. current — electric
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. club — for golf
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. club — a group
  24. row — to paddle

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