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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. hand — help
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. chest — a box
  9. game — a match
  10. hand — in cards
  11. chest — of your body
  12. club — a group
  13. object — an aim
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rash — hasty
  18. object — to protest
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. game — wild animals
  21. object — a thing
  22. net — in sport
  23. chest — of your body
  24. jam — in traffic

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