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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. track — to keep track
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rest — a break
  8. lie — to recline
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. track — a path
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. band — a music group
  20. club — a group
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. track — a song
  23. band — a ring
  24. lie — an untruth

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