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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. net — in sport
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. lean — thin
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ground — a position
  9. cell — in biology
  10. lean — to bend
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ground — crushed
  14. club — a group
  15. track — a path
  16. cell — a phone
  17. club — for golf
  18. track — to keep track
  19. ground — the earth
  20. net — for catching
  21. track — a song
  22. net — after costs
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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