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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. club — for dancing
  4. tear — from crying
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. tear — to rip
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. content — the amount
  9. club — for golf
  10. tear — from crying
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. rest — a break
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — all right
  15. game — a match
  16. rest — what's left
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. dip — to sink
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fine — high quality
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. club — a group
  24. content — happy

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