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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. saw — the tool
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. bore — to drill
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mark — a trace
  14. clip — a video
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bore — to tire
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. game — a match
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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