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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. club — for golf
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. can — to be able to
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. can — a tin
  14. mug — to rob
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. can — a tin
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mug — a face
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. club — a group
  24. mug — a cup

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