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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pop — soda
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cell — in biology
  7. track — a path
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. club — for golf
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bound — obliged
  16. track — a song
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pop — music
  21. club — a group
  22. game — a match
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cell — in a prison

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