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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. fall — the season
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. game — wild animals
  5. fall — to drop
  6. club — a group
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. game — a match
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wax — to grow
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mark — to pay attention

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