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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. game — wild animals
  3. root — the cause
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bound — obliged
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bound — tied together
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bound — certain
  11. club — for golf
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. root — of a word
  16. land — a country
  17. rush — hurry
  18. land — to come down
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. game — a match
  21. root — of a plant
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. land — ground

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