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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chip — to eat
  4. saw — the tool
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. game — a match
  9. squash — to crush
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lean — to bend
  15. chip — for betting
  16. club — for golf
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lean — thin
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fall — the season
  22. club — a group
  23. fall — to drop
  24. game — a kind of play

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