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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. club — for dancing
  3. spring — the season
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. track — a song
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ground — crushed
  10. game — a match
  11. track — a path
  12. spring — of water
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. club — a group
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ground — a position
  17. net — after costs
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. club — for golf
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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