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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wax — to grow
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mate — a partner
  8. club — for dancing
  9. pop — music
  10. club — a group
  11. game — a match
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mate — a friend
  16. game — wild animals
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bound — certain
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pop — soda
  24. club — for golf

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